


You Are a Memory

by liftingrocks



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Memory Loss, Movie: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Mutual Pining, Past Character Death, Pilot Ben Solo, Post-Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Redeemed Ben Solo, Resistance Member Ben Solo, Reunions, Slow Burn, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Fix-It, Temporary Amnesia, The Resistance Era
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:27:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21856807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liftingrocks/pseuds/liftingrocks
Summary: The customers who travel to Chalmun's Cantina on Mos Eisley come for the drinks, but stay for the story of Ben from nowhere. Except, this is the story of Ben Solo. And he can't remember anything that happened in the past.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 41
Kudos: 225
Collections: TROS Reylo Fix-it Fics, The Rise of Skywalker: Fix-It Fic Edition





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i saw tros! i just wanted to start this idea i found on twitter because i feel like it has potential and i'm sad so hopefully this can feel little more bearable. follow me on twitter at @cosmicreas and thank you for the insp @freyasolo! 
> 
> do not read if you haven't seen the rise of skywalker yet since there are spoilers. hope you enjoy

Everything he touched was real. This wasn't a new concept to him, it just felt present in his hand. Like he was holding something that mattered.

And right now, completing the task of washing the tables was what mattered.

The dampness of his rag from cleaning. The transparent glasses. The bright liquids. The feel of the bar top. The heavy clank of his tip today tucked away in his pocket.

"For your first week of training at the Cantina, you're a natural." A co-worker told Ben over his shoulder as he walked to the back room. Ben was a good addition to the Mos Eisley team. 

"A natural at doing something basic! When the boss asks you where you're from, you say. Like I'm from Naboo. Where does this kid say he's from? Nowhere!" Other workers laughed at the remarks another chirping co-worker made toward Ben. Ben wasn't special, he was just a new hire getting paid dirt and working brutal hours. 

Ben looked at his sweat smothered reflection that was tinted a light pink color of embarrassment in the metal pipes of the spouts, trying to think if the comment hurt him or not as he shook his jet black curls to get it out of his head. Maybe he was just good at doing his job. They called it being a bartender. And he already had some good talk with some interesting folks- this talk was good enough to put credits in his pocket. 

Credits were such a strange form of currency. Why did you have to pay for something with an object? It didn't make sense to him. 

Ben recognized the set of forks, knives, and spoons he had to sort, then his shift would be over. This was it. Until sunrise the next day.

He found a sense of calmness matching the next utensil into the compartment as the one previous to it, taking a sigh of relief that every move he made was the right one. So far, so good. All that was left to do was go home.

And to him, home meant his ship.

This ship wasn't the newest or shiniest, but it was a damn good ship and he knew that. He loved the way it ran and it never had any technical difficulties. Even if his ship broke down, Ben was born with the gift of recognizing everything about ships. He had a passion for them. He knew every lever, button, every mode, every map. It was his home. And one night, as he sat in his bed reflecting on his day, he knew he had to give his ship a name.

He named his ship Rey. It just felt fitting, for no reason in particular.

It reminded him of something, a thought far away into his unconscious he couldn't quite piece together.

The ship was important to him. He always had good luck with it. 

Ben found joy in cruising across the sand of Tatooine to get a little closer to the stars, even if it meant wasting fuel just to circle back to park in front of the cantina for work tomorrow. It just felt so natural to him, and instinctive.

He wanted to fly. He wanted to fly everywhere. 

He could show someone every single star system, every planet in every rim. Every place he knew was worth sharing to someone important. 

It's like he could recognize the galaxy in his dreams every night - but his dreams turned into waking up in Mos Eisley again. 

Ben recognized that work was necessary to support himself. The money he got could be put to use someday. Part of him wanted to save it all just in case he needed anything for his ship.

The shadows of the night eased into the blaze of the morning sun as light streamed through the glass windows of his room. 

It was going to be just another day in Mos Eisley for Ben. 

To him, nothing could change this seemingly normal existence. 


	2. Chapter 2

Sometimes the only noises Rey could hear on Tatooine were BB-8’s beeps she woke up to. Other days, she could hear a ship fly by, but part of her didn’t want to believe it. She was alone. Completely alone.

Every morning, BB-8 shared a transmitted message from one of her friends at the Resistance left for Rey.

Letting her three buns down so her dark brown hair could fall over her shoulders, she yawned and nodded at what BB-8 said.

“You can play it, BB-8.” She responded in a groggy voice.

This morning, Poe checked in on his droid and one of the most valued fighters of the cause, over BB-8’s new transmission system via a pre-recorded hologram.

Since Tatooine was a distant planet from base, the holograms were always low quality and the picture faded in and out, but Rey still listened carefully to the messages she got from the people that mattered to her, no matter how far.

Today started out with, “This is General Poe Dameron speaking-“

Rey couldn’t help but laugh softly, hearing how Poe said his new rank as she moved around her small house, in search of a writing utensil.

“Hope all is well. Hope BB-8 is doing good. We’re doing okay here, pretty quiet.”

“Is that Rey?” Finn’s voice could be heard in the background, before he entered the fuzzy blue picture.

Rey turned around to face BB-8, seeing her friends and smiling softly. They looked like they were enjoying themselves.

“Hi Rey! Miss you!” Finn waved into the lens energetically.

“We were thinking, to disassemble the Resistance for a while. The galaxy seems pretty calm right now. This would give recruits and members time to go home. Time with their families. Or people could start new lives on new planets. Time for me to find a new home. Just time to ourselves. We worked hard. So did you.” The hologram almost fizzled at the end but Rey clearly heard what was said, giving off the appearance that Poe’s voice cracked.

She noticed the object she was looking for on her desk, gulping at the last word of his sentence as she had to face Poe’s blue body again. Nobody knew what she was going through at the end of her time at the Resistance recently. Rey held the small white writing utensil and processed what Poe meant by disassembling, standing there in thought. They were really going to do that? What if something happened in the galaxy that needed the Resistance?

“He has a point, we have lives outside the cause. And if the cause isn’t fighting anything, then we should be allowed to catch a break. But don’t let that distract you from the fact we’re going to visit you one day, Rey! We’ll go to Tatooine! I’ve always wanted to see Luke Skywalker’s place.” Finn added.

Rey sighed, walking over to the wall next to her bed. Tatooine was her escape. It wasn’t a tourist attraction for everyone to go to. There was nothing else for anyone here. They wouldn’t understand why she chose to go in isolation. As much as she loved the support of her friends, she left for a reason. To be alone. There was no one worth living with. Except…

She carefully gripped the pen in her fingers as her hand shook, putting the point of the tool on her wall. In a swift motion, she scratched a singular tally mark next to the handful before lined up, marking off another day without the one she loved. What did the tally marks count for exactly? The days without Ben? The countdown until she could finally reunite with him even if it meant dying too, wherever he was?

“That’s all we had to tell you today.” Finn mentioned, looking over at Poe.

“See you same time tomorrow, Rey. May the Force be with you.” Poe ended the transmission, as she could hear Finn and Rose saying bye in the background.

The hologram BB-8 displayed turned off, as Rey finished tallying her wall deciding to lay against the tallies, her feet dangling off of her bed. She began to feel a certain emptiness, the same numb feeling took her over when she was reminded of Ben. She needed a moment to breathe as she patted BB-8’s head and straightened his antennae, cherishing the little moments she had with the droid now. But there were a lot of ways to spend time on Tatooine.

“BB-8, what should we do now?” She asked quietly, hoping for inspiration.

The droid replied with a long set of beeps as he rolled around, demonstrating his ideas of fun for the day.

“Sledding. Doing flips. Scavenging. Petting the creatures. Taking apart the ship and repairing it. Putting on the helmet and having a picnic. Counting sand. Hmm.” Rey confirmed with her friend that these were the options of how they could spend their day. She had already done everything on BB-8’s list at least once, but options were limited on Tatooine because of how deserted it was. Using imagination, Rey could do anything. She rarely used the Force, but it was entertaining to see how simple her powers could be in a simple place just thinking of the power she had. The last time she truly used the Force was on Ben. She vowed to herself to never use the Force again, unless it was necessary. Now to her, the Force opened up a part of her that clouded her judgment with grief and even seemed unbalanced at times. She wanted none of this anymore.

She felt like she didn’t deserve to be here. Ben deserved to be here.

Rey decided to attempt a new hairstyle, her hands weaving her hair into a braid that rested on the shoulder of her long white dress, now ombre with a tan tone because of how much sand she was around again. She then made up her mind on what she wanted to do.

“Let’s take a walk.” Rey decided optimistically, slipping into her boots and making sure BB-8 was ready to go.

Closing the door of the house behind them, the wind silently whistled as Rey and BB-8 were greeted by the beating sun of Tatooine with clouds filling the blue and orange sky. With every step, they walked towards the navigation towers, old deserted ships and crumbling houses around Tatooine. There was no sight of the local woman today. Just a scavenger and her droid, walking along the sand.

Rey was used to walking, used to going long distances with nothing in sight just for the concept of finding something beyond the steps. They were far from home, but a gut feeling could see zooming figures on the horizon and houses dotted closer together, with a few people walking, a ship or two flying overhead, and the hum of speederbikes.

“How long have we walked for?” Turning the opposite direction, there was nothing but the desert behind them, and no sight of Rey’s home.

BB-8 let out a beep of relief.

“A spaceport?” Rey’s eyes lit up. It looked like a plentiful area, but it was only an illusion as the people who were here were mostly flying away. “What is this place?”

“Mos Eisley.” A mandalorian addressed the pair through his mask, in full armor as he paced by, and into a house.

Rey could feel the Force identify that bounty hunter as her mind opened up to the type of people who lived in this town. People who barely had anything, yet smuggling to get ahead like villains. Luckily, there weren’t many people about. BB-8 rolled into a bigger looking establishment, as Rey raced after him.

A single saxophone was played by an alien at a fast pace which ushered her into the building. She soon realized this was a cantina, and a few stragglers took their seats at a bar or at tables around.It felt like a million eyes were staring back at her, as the aliens and creatures exchanged glances with the two foreigners.

“BB-8, we should get going.” She studied the bartenders behind the counter, pouring fancy colored liquids and raising their voices at customers. They sounded like aliens who held grudges, and wanted the money. The saxophone’s tone mixed with the alien’s impatient dialect led her to the point of a sharp headache, as her heart started to pound. Something was too familiar here.

Whispers in her head. Someone yelling.

BB-8 rolled around the whole cantina to examine it, as he listened to Rey and was ready to leave if she wanted to.

They made their way out the door of the cantina, leaving behind the brash music and overly dramatic people drinking, back into the center of town. But Rey could still sense unease somewhere. Her body was telling her to walk around the back of the cantina, so her feet guided her. BB-8 quickly followed, beeping out of confusion.

“Wait… follow me.” She said as she peeked around the side of the cantina, sensing something.

* * *

The loudest noises from Mos Eisley were coming from the cantina. The back of house was overwhelmed today by the amount of food the few customers decided to order with their drinks. Alien chefs were rapidly creating dishes, making pans go up in flames, and bossing around the other staff to step it up. Servers were dropping plates and there were whispers about workers. Everyone was blaming each other for the breakdown.

A teenage alien from Tatooine was chopping onions as she got the attention of her co-worker from Naboo moving spices.

“Did you hear? The boss is going to fire Ben today.” Her voice got lower as she whispered with a smirk, continuing to cut the onions.

“For stealing tips? What a fraud. Thank goodness our jobs are safe, because we’re not scum.” He chuckled as they carried on with their prep work.

After a practically sleepless night, Ben stormed through the kitchen coming out of the bar, as he followed his boss around closely while the alien called him out on what he did wrong.

“I wasn’t late… I-I was right on time! I didn’t steal anyone’s tips! I earned what I earned!” Ben stood up for himself, raising his voice without even knowing.

A co-worker laughed after translating what the boss said to the new hire. “He said you’re trash and you should take this outside with him.”

Ben clenched his fists, huffing as he swung the door open to go outside. Who would accuse him of doing something that wasn’t in his nature? And his co-workers could speak for him, he clocked in right on time today. He parked the ship and went right into the cantina at sunrise. Why was everything making him angry?

The round alien trudged out behind him, barking in his native tongue at the disappointing boy as the co-worker who spoke that followed.

“He says you talk too much, you tell unnecessary stories about yourself to guests which makes them pity you for tips when they could of been given to other people doing their job correctly. You are not a good bartender. You have no purpose to serve in the cantina. You are the worst, no wonder why nobody claims you!”

Why was this painful to him? He had never experienced anything like this before. He’s just an average boy looking to make some money?

After his belittlement, he realized what exactly he meant to everyone on Mos Eisley. Holding back tears, he put his hands in his pockets and nodded at his boss who walked back into the kitchen and said nothing else, except locking the door as his co-workers laughed through the window.

Standing alone behind the cantina, Ben kicked the sand. What did he do wrong?

* * *

Rey could hear the commotion in her head, trying to pull apart every sentence as she leaned against the wall and collected herself, huffing. She felt hostility, and anger, but empathy towards someone in her mind. This whole encounter made her think of Ben for some reason, as she wanted to turn around and see the person who was getting yelled at.

Moving her hand slightly, she heard a click and a slam as she whipped around to see who was there, but nobody was behind the cantina and the door was shut. Whoever was out there, Rey unlocked the door for so they could go back inside.

“C’mon BB-8… time to leave.” She felt her hand go numb as she wished she didn’t use the Force to do that, what if she put the person in trouble in more danger? This wasn’t her place to take sides. She just had to go home now.

“This wasn’t how I expected the walk to go, but today we learned Mos Eisley exists.” Rey told BB-8 as she walked out of the town and back into the barren desert. A storm of dust and wind picked up, as Rey moved closer to BB-8 and decided to turn herself around to take a look at Mos Eisley one last time. And when she did, she saw something appear from the dust. A figure, wearing a black shirt and pants, appearing from the clouds of wind.

BB-8 beeped as Rey immediately ran into the dust, back towards the buildings and center of town with tears in her eyes.

She knew who this was.

“Ben?” She called out, in denial.

Her heart was beating faster as she collapsed into Ben’s arms, gazing up at him with a smile, endless tears rolling past her freckles and streaming down her cheek. She cupped his cheek in her hand, tracing over it with her thumb in wonder and relief. Ben was fine. The emotion felt natural and she wanted to let this exact feeling out every second she kept it in from someone. He was real. His body was real. He was here. With her. She wanted to say so much, she wanted to do so much.

The wind circled around them both as without hesitation she leaned in to kiss him passionately, what she wanted to do for the rest of her life, ever since he disappeared. She wanted to hold onto him forever and never let him go. She stopped kissing, wanting to ask so many questions.

“What are you doing here?” She said, crying as she whispered against his lips as hers curved into a gentle smile.

* * *

As Ben walked towards his ship, he noticed a figure sprinting at him. Was she okay? Was she running from the dust storm?

The girl approached him closer now, and he realized how beautiful she truly was. But why was she doing this?

When he heard his name, he wondered how she knew it, squinting in thought.

And when her touch lingered on his face, he naturally flinched even though part of him didn’t want to.

As she initiated their kiss, this felt so familiar. But he didn’t have the understanding to kiss back. Why her? He was bewildered, and his first instinct was to force her off. He put his arms on her shoulders, broke away from the kiss, and pushed her away. He didn’t understand how she recognized him.

He paused, trying to figure this out, before he mustered what he thought of this unexpected encounter.

“I… don’t know you.”

He tried to find her teary eyes to look into.

Ben was flustered as he walked past the girl, out of the sandstorm and towards his ship, confused.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys! i hope you are doing well :): i just wanted to take the time to recognize @freyasolo bc she gave the inspiration for this fic over a great thread that we didn’t ask for but still received. so if you get a chance please follow this ray of sunshine on twitter and thank her for her mind!
> 
> now it’s time for chapter 3!   
> -@cosmicreas

He had come back for her.

And now, he was leaving.

Watching Ben walk away from her and towards his ship made her heart sink as she immediately could see her parents going onto a ship and leaving her alone forever, soon to be killed. She swore Ben wouldn’t disappear from her again. So why was he leaving her alone now? They were supposed to be a dyad. This was giving up. Did he not like her anymore?

Having the taste of him still on her lips, she tried to collect her tears that were falling because of an emotion she couldn’t explain. That wasn’t how Ben would act at all. Was it worth running after the one she loved? Did she do something wrong?

Maybe if she expressed how she felt another way.

_“Be with me.”_

She assured herself, holding on tightly to the hope that was starting to develop out of the promise that Ben Solo still existed.

Grounding her feet in the sand and opening her fists to let her hands relax, she took a deep breath to become one with herself and accomplish what she had to do. First, the ship. Rey could see Ben boarding his ship and getting ready to take off.

Ben had every reason to - being approached by a stranger who shows affection to you in a duststorm on the planet you lost your job on was something to fly far away from, immediately.

But Rey could stop him. And reconnect.

Rey knew what she had to do, collecting her strength to make sure even if Ben turned the lever, the ship wouldn’t leave. She could keep it grounded, if she put her mind to it. She wouldn’t let him get away yet. She knew the perfect way to get back to him.

The girl shut her eyes and took a deep breath, searching for the easy link that connected the two of them.

She started a forcebond on her end. This rarity always began with Ben starting the thought in his head.

Today, it was her turn. All she needed was a response.

“Ben.” She said out loud to the evening desert, looking ahead.

There was no image to look at, no voice she heard, nobody on the other side.

It stayed that way for a few minutes.

A forcebond was never rejected before. She could always see something. The other half was black and unresponsive.

Nothing happened.

No forcebond.

Was it broken now?

Rey’s breathing became more sporadic as she tried to find an explanation for his behavior. What happened? Why was this one-sided? She needed answers. So she took small steps near his ship, and BB-8 curiously followed while offering an explanation of his own.

“What do you mean, that’s not the same person we know?” Rey shook her head in disbelief as she picked up into a light jog, realizing that the door to Ben’s ship lowered and he walked out, trying to fix what he thought was broken.

He raised his arms up to open a compartment with all of the wires and symbols that showed the status of his ship. If fuel was full, all the wires were connected, and no fuses were blown, everything should be fine and he should be able to leave. He didn’t know to where to flee to exactly, just put the ship in lightspeed and see where it takes him. But lightspeed was out of reach if he was stuck on Mos Eisley for the rest of his life. So he clenched his fists and let out a loud huff. Every little thing was confusing him- and his anger was visibly taking him over. Rey couldn’t remember this side of Ben.

As Rey came closer, she understood how upset he was over the difficulties. It was just her using the Force to hold the ship down. Nothing was wrong. And Ben would know that if he responded to her forcebond.

“Your ship is fine,” Rey said softly, lifting her arm as she raised it a few inches above the sand. Ben looked down at the girl and held on to the handles of the door, alarmed.

“H-how did you do that?” Ben questioned, jumping down from the door’s ramp and back onto the sand.

“It’s just the Force, Ben. You would know this.” Rey assured him as she cracked a smile before realizing she should stop controlling the weight of the ship. “It was just me.”

“I’m sorry, what? The… Force?” Ben shook his head as he responded to what she said slowly, wondering why he wanted to spend more time with this mysteriously beautiful girl.

Rey’s eyes widened as BB-8 beeped around her in a circle that indicated something was seriously wrong. She tried to stop herself from crying, but more tears continued to swell around her cheeks as her heart beat faster out of overwhelming sadness. “You don’t remember the Force, Ben? What happened to you?”

Ben could see how much this Force meant to her. He empathetically could feel why she would be crying. But was she too overemotional? He felt guilty that he didn’t remember what the Force was. Was this something he was supposed to know about? Nobody ever explained it to him. She was powerful, and she brought questions that made him think about himself.

“Nothing happened. I’m me. I just remember finding Mos Eisley, getting a job here, being offered a ship, and naming it Rey. Then today I lost my job because I was ‘stealing tips’ but the thing is I would never steal from peopl-“ Ben started to sound more and more like his father in a sarcastically honest tone, but huge pieces of his backstory were missing.

Recognizing her name, Rey stopped him and interrupted as she took a step back, trying to understand. “I’m sorry, did you say your ship’s name was Rey?”

Ben nodded, patting the outside of his beloved ship. Naming his ship Rey just felt right.

“It’s just that I felt like this ship would be a Rey. I don’t know why, but I just think that’s such an important name to me. Can’t you see it as a Rey, too?”

BB-8 agreed, shaking his droid head yes.

The scavenger gasped, smiling in shock. Tears wouldn’t even understand how much the name of the ship meant to her. “I’m Rey. That’s my name.”

How could he remember her name, but not the Force?

Ben raised an eyebrow. “Your name is Rey? Oh. It’s nice to meet you then, Rey.” He extended his rounded hand out for a handshake, a hand that’s collected many credits over the days, and held many glasses. A hand that if only he could remember, was the one that gave Rey her life back. The one that Rey always wanted to take. And now, she took it. Although, this felt wrong.

“I’m Rey.” She smiled as she wished this was under different circumstances, accepting the handshake. His touch felt familiar. Like home to her.

“Ben, do you remember your last name? You have a last name.” Rey reminded him.

“I was never given a last name.” He said honestly before his mind immediately switched to another subject he had the guts to ask about. “Also, do you have a place to sleep for the night that I could go to? Your Force felt like it was a problem on my ship, but there’s a real problem with the heat circulation inside my ship so it would just bring in the cold air whenever I slept.”

Rey’s features transformed into a crestfallen nod, knowing that he was a Solo. She didn’t want to tell him yet, because she knew he wouldn’t understand.

“Oh, Ben. Of course.” She offered her house on the other side of Tatooine. It was small, and not much. But it was better than a cold ship by yourself.

“Can we fly there? I know the way, it’s just across the desert. We’ve been walking all day.” Rey pointed at her droid as Ben turned around and gestured them onboard. Rey walked into his ship. Although she was used to different kinds of ships, she had never been on any one distinctively matching the person Ben was in this ship, without him even knowing it. And when she walked into the cockpit and saw Ben sit down to pilot the ship, she sat down beside him and just stared in awe at how natural flying came to him.

His muscle memory knew how to pilot. And it showed. 

“So what are the directions?” He said as he raised a few levers up to steer as she ship turned around and flew steadily across the dunes of sand.

Rey stopped daydreaming and responded. “Straight ahead. I’ll just point out when we get to my house. You’ll notice it, there aren’t many on this side of town.” She chuckled, in awe. How was she on a ship, with Ben Solo, who didn’t recognize himself? She felt so lucky to have moments like these. But to regain Ben’s trust again and help bring him back to the person he once was, that would be an even bigger challenge than she would’ve imagined.

As the setting sun dipped over Tatooine, the light orange faded to a soft blue and purple sky that framed her house. “We’re approaching it. You can land here."

Ben nodded, as Rey watched him soak up a skill he was extremely gifted with. She wished she saw him fly more, as he easily landed the ship and made sure all the controls were set correctly before he shut the ship off and the door opened. Rey and BB-8 got out first, followed by Ben. There were a few steps to go before they made it to the front door, as Rey looked behind her and the Force knew for a second that Ben had stepped over the exact spot where she buried the lightsabers. Taking a sigh to collect her thoughts, she waited for her guest as his slow steps ended up at the door too, and she let him inside first.

The house was somewhat bigger than where she resided on Jakku, but it had everything Rey needed.

This was her new home.

“Are you hungry? A local woman just gave me a whole bunch of portion-“ Rey embarrassingly took out the small supply of food she had, wondering if he was accustomed to it.

“Portion bread! My boss fed us that on our breaks!” Ben knew what that was.

“Yeah… it is portion bread. I can make some for us if you want.” Rey let out a chuckle, surprised that he knew what portion bread was. She was used to this bread from the start of her life. It was something that you got sick of easily, but accepted because it was filling.

“I’m not hungry.” Ben admit as he gazed around the one room. Rey understood as she decided to open a packet and pour it into a small bowl, stirring the mix as it rose. She would make some, just in case.

As she was watching her bread continue to rise, she could hear Ben mutter a “woah” under his breath.

“What?” Rey wondered what he was thinking about before she turned around to see his black head of hair looking up at the display of days worth of white tally marks etched eternally into the clay.

She kept a small smile to herself, knowing that she didn’t have to make any more marks. But this was something she waited for. And it was finally here. Ben was back.

Night in Tatooine swiftly approached as everything became more silent than usual, BB-8 stopped beeping, and the stars dotted the sky that Rey and Ben could see. Rey put the bread out still on her counter, as Ben stood in the center of the room awkwardly.

Rey reached underneath the counter to pull out a Jedi text to read herself to sleep with, as she walked over to her bed and sat down in it.

Although the bed was small, as Rey was settling herself into it and about to open her book, she realized Ben was still standing there sheepishly.

“You know you can sleep with me, right?” She offered, putting her hand down on the sheet she had and the empty space for him.

“Yeah… but I don’t want that.” He responded, embarrassed and confused on how to respond to a girl offering her bed to share. “What are you reading?”

Rey got up from her bed, part of her wanting to understand the reason behind the rejection and part of her accepting it. Was she too uncomfortable for him?

“Actually, you can have the whole bed. I have another place to sleep. And it’s just the Jedi texts. It’s a good read.” She handed the book off to him as she faked a smile, and he took it. Ben didn’t want her to give up the whole bed, but she did, and he sat down, confused. Rey walked into the area where she made her food and sat in between the counters as she crossed her legs.

She wanted to meditate before she went to bed, and sort her mind out of this mess she was getting herself into. She didn’t want to violate Ben, either.

Ben took his seat in bed and opened the textbook, trying to make sense of the languages and diagrams throughout the pages before he got tired. Setting the book down beside him, and tracing his fingertips over the white wall decorating marks he could reach, he eventually drifted off to a silent sleep, with the thought of his new hospitable friend he made.

“Goodnight.” Ben whispered, wondering if anyone could hear.

Rey could, as she knew he went to sleep. Was it worth talking to someone about this now?

_“Be with me,”_ Rey whispered as her hands grazed her kneecaps, finding the peace and purpose in her to think of someone to explain this to.

_“Be with me.”_ She sighed again, her eyes fluttering closed to make sense of this all. Her legs barely lifted off the floor, reflecting through the Force her own feelings.

If nobody responded, she would have to navigate truly getting the love of her life back by herself. But she needed help. She needed someone to understand.

_“Be with me.”_

A response on the other side.

A sleepy Finn. Rey could see him on one cot, and Poe on another, sleeping. She didn’t want to start anything with them because she knew she would give too much away. But how did her mind go straight to Finn’s? Rey took a step back and shook her head, erasing the thought of wanting to ask her friends for help yet. She hoped they were doing well, though.

“Be with me.” Rey whispered to the universe with one last attempt, genuinely hoping the Jedi would listen to her mantra.

Suddenly, Force ghost Leia materialized in front of her and Rey felt relieved to find her mother-like figure standing before her. 

“What are you doing up so late? Don’t waste your concentration on this, Rey.” Leia laughed, seeing Rey was on Tatooine.

“Leia…” Rey rolled her eyes as she sat back down to conserve her energy before she wanted to break down in another stream of tears. She was talking to Ben Solo’s mother that he couldn’t recall.

“Ben’s alive?” She sensed his presence, as Rey nodded through glassy eyes.

“Leia, he remembers nothing though.” She buried her face in her hands, trying to remember the order of events. “I found him in Mos Eisley. He was working at a cantina. Things got out of control. I ran up to him, and he blew me off. He can’t remember what the Force is, and he doesn’t know his last name. But Leia, he’s alive. I swear. Can you see him too?”

Rey pointed to her bed, hoping this wasn’t a bad dream.

Leia turned her head to recognize her son sleeping peacefully, as moments flashed before her eyes when he was a young boy, always sleeping in between her and Han sometimes when he had nightmares.

“What do I do? How can I bring him back?” She softly asked for help as she couldn’t resist crying. Was she going crazy?

“Rey, I can see him,” Leia assured her. “I have never witnessed anything like this before. But I know what you have to do.”

Rey focused her full attention on the master, eager to understand the process. “Please help.”

“You have to find the last object he held on to in the time before he was still alive. This needs to be located and felt by him. When he touches it again, everything should come back to normal. If it doesn’t, then he’ll remain the person he is today. But we know he’s my son. And that he will always love you, very much.” Leia explained her reasoning behind the fact that his identity and mark was left on something of value, one of the last important things he touched. “Any Jedi’s sentimental value, any Jedi’s last object of clarity and understanding. That can open a whole door of where their value lies and what purpose they have. I do believe memories can be impacted this way. Ben’s heart will realize the person he is if he finds his way back through something he cherished.”

Rey bit her lip, deep in thought. She must have not been the last thing, then. Even when they shook hands again today, no new memories came back. So what was it? Rey had to figure that out. Ben wouldn’t remember. Ben Solo would.

“Thank you, Leia. Thank you… Can you still be with me?” Rey nodded, knowing what she had to do. She could develop the strength to complete the task if she was surrounded by guidance and love.

“You know I always will be. Search your mind, and relax. Calm down. I know you have it in you. It’s time for you to go to bed. Then, you can bring Ben back home.”

Rey agreed with what her master told her, as Leia parted ways with her and Rey found the peace to finally sleep, as one thought circled her head.

What else did Ben hold on to?

* * *

As one of the last nights with the Resistance together, after sharing their favorite memories of the cause throughout the years, everyone fell asleep.

But Finn. Who woke up in a cold sweat, sensing Rey. She was whispering something.

“Rey?” He called out, realizing Rey wasn’t on base as he held his mouth over the name he blurted, scanning the cots of his friends wondering if any of them heard.

Rose lifted her flashlight and pointed it at Finn, opening her arms to shrug at him.

“Are you good?” She mouthed, closing a Jedi text that Rey had left for her.

Finn nodded, as he stood up and flashed Rose an okay symbol.

“Nightmare.” He mouthed back, as he tried to make no noise stepping across his friends while Rose got back to reading. Finn was acting strange lately, and as she continued to read the text she folded over every page that showed a symptom of being force sensitive.

Stepping around Kaydel, Beaumont, Chewbacca, Klaud, Babu, Lando, and Zorri, Finn finally approached the sleeping Poe.

Finn tapped Poe on the shoulder.

No response.

Maybe a shake would wake him up.

Suddenly, Poe was awake and swatting at the air. 

“Who the hell?” Poe yawned, jabbing whoever woke him up. “Finn?”

He sat up in bed, interested now.

“Poe, it’s Rey.” Finn tried to organize his thoughts.

“What about her?” Poe became more alert.

“She’s training.” He tried to think of the possibilities of why else she was training than to need people around her, so that’s why he felt Rey reach out.

“For… what?”


	4. Chapter 4

The first light of dawn hit the base on the jungle planet of Ajan Kloss, and the Resistance was wide awake with murmurs of Rey and her whereabouts. The vines of the forest that curled around the main ship whispered of the last Jedi returning, every ping of technology sensed Rey would come back soon, squadron members were wishing Rey was here, and the shadows of the high rankings met to discuss the future of the Resistance under the early morning sun. General Dameron was ready to make an executive decision to disband, with or without Rey.

Until Finn mentioned he saw a vision of her last night.

“We have to push the agenda back, then.” Poe turned over his shoulder and looked down at the control panel, zooming out of the map to track the distance to Tatooine. There was no time for everyone to go home if Rey’s safety was an issue they wanted to fix together.

“The going home thing? We’re fine. Besides, we have each other. This is home now.” Zorri said towards the general, specifically thinking about the fate of her home planet of Kijimi and where she had nowhere to go.

“I don’t think we all have to necessarily follow Rey to Tatooine. She went by herself for a reason. All of us would overwhelm her. And what would happen if there was an attack?” Rose questioned, looking anxiously towards Finn. She would support her friends no matter what, but sometimes they made decisions without thinking. Sending the whole fleet to Tatooine would be risking putting their eggs in one basket. How would Rey feel about every single person there at once? Rose stuck to her gut feeling.

“She has a point, Poe. All I know is I swore I saw her last night. She was sitting and practicing her mantra. But she never does that unless she’s training. It was like she wanted to talk to me for a second, then we both zoned out and nothing happened. But it felt so specific. Like she was calling me out.” Finn shook his head, wishing he spoke up more. “What if we tried sending her a hologram?”

“Is she keeping something from us?” Kaydel piped up as she joined the conversation, looking up from her computer station allowing ships to enter base.

“All Jedi have secrets. What matters most is that if she wants to rejoin us on base, she gets here safely and she is in the right mindset.” Lando assured the eager squad.

“I set up the hologram.” Jannah pointed inside of a ship, contributing with what she could.

Poe, Rose, and Finn looked at each other with brief nods, knowing what they had to do again as they walked over to the ship together to enter and start the hologram.

* * *

BB-8 was an early droid. He was always the first to wake up. Today, he was beeping away at Ben, who woke up after him, trying to tell a story.

Ben didn’t really understand what BB-8 meant, so he just cordially smiled and nodded trying to keep up with the droid’s enthusiasm shown this early in the morning.

“Wow.”

BB-8 rolled around the empty space in front of Rey’s bed, to where the spot Rey fell asleep. Pausing in front of one of his best friends and seeing her still asleep, he wanted Ben to see this. BB-8 shook his head to gesture Ben over.

“Who? Me?” Ben yawned, laughing. He wanted to see what BB-8 was looking at too, as Ben turned the corner and saw the girl asleep, in rays of sunlight glistening through the windows of her house.

He knew her name. And he was planning on saying it to wake her up. How did she look so perfect when she slept? She changed her hair too, into three buns. They suited her nicely. But BB-8 encouraged Ben to be the one to make sure Rey was awake. He just wanted to keep staring at her.

BB-8 faced Ben, encouraging him to make a move as the droid titled his round head again.

Until, someone else said her name.

**“REY!”**

Three voices energetically shouted, with Poe, Rose and Finn appearing in a blue glow. They wanted to try a live hologram this morning.

BB-8 had his lens still on Ben, as he was the one seen in blue from the other side. Ben didn’t know who these people were, at all.

“Holy shit!” Poe realized, putting his mouth over his hand as his tone completely dropped to pure shock that this wasn’t Rey.

“You’re not Rey!” He forced a fake laugh trying to comprehend why the Supreme Leader who tortured him was in the frame. “I can’t believe this…”

“That’s Kylo Ren.” Rose stared into the lens, not wanting to believe it as she took a step back from the camera and clutched her medallion. What happened to Rey?

“You better explain yourself mate, or we’re going over to Rey’s house and kicking your ass. Did you capture her or something?” Finn questioned, angry. The last thing he wanted to see was his best friend fall to the dark side.

“I…” Ben started, putting his hands together in search of an explanation as he bent over to get his whole body in the hologram.

There must be a misunderstanding. Mistaken identity.

“I’m not… Kylo Ren?”

“You are absolutely bonkers Ren! We’re on our way to Tatooine, and when we get there, it’s on sight!” Finn shouted, moving closer to the camera. “Hold me back, guys.”

Poe and Rose held Finn back as Rose tried not to laugh.

Ben picked up BB-8 to move him around to show Rey sleeping. The camera angle was out of focus, as the lanky boy tried his best to get the hologram right. He panned from the countertops to the ground to get Rey into the frame, placing BB-8 down.

“Get your hands off my droid right now!” Poe didn’t joke around as he didn’t know what was going on with Kylo Ren today or what made him think it was okay for him to touch BB-8.

When they saw Rey with her eyes shut and slumped against the counter, they were horrified, cringing in unity. “Oh god.”

Even Jannah could see the disaster from behind the trio, as she thought Rey was dead for a second. “So Kylo Ren killed her? Really?”

“She’s sleeping. Sleeping! That’s all.” Ben told them, raising his voice and waving his arms to calm everyone on the other side down. Part of him was scared. What could he of done in his past life to upset so many people?

BB-8 beeped, agreeing that Rey was in fact sleeping. And this was when she woke up, her eyes fluttering open.

“Rey!” The trio said again, relieved.

She jolted awake, seeing BB-8 display a hologram of Poe, Finn, and Rose, with Ben standing tall behind them.

“Oh my…” She shook her head, waving with a small smile as she stopped herself from giggling. “Ben, come here.”

Rey sat up as Ben kneeled down beside her, while the faces on the other side of the hologram were shocked.

“Rey, are you okay?” Finn asked genuinely, after what happened last night.

“Yeah.” She forced a nod and whispered softly through teary eyes, not wanting to explain the situation she was in because it was hard to accept as a reality.

“They called me Kylo Ren.” Ben thought he would contribute to the conversation, as Rey gave a little gasp. 

Ben must of answered the call, and everyone must of reacted.

Poe agreed with this statement as he raised his voice. “Didn’t know we’re friends with the enemy now!”

Ben wondered if he was truly the enemy.

“You guys… don’t freak out. This isn’t Kylo Ren. This is Ben. Ben Solo. He doesn’t mean any harm, I swear. If you guys were on Exegol, you would see that he redeemed himself. I was with him the whole time. He used his force life to save my life. But he disappeared after, and I hadn’t heard from him since. Until I was on Tatooine, and I ran into him. I didn’t think it was him.” Rey explained honestly, her hazel eyes staring at Ben as she let out a sigh of relief.

“It is him. Except, whenever he disappeared, something happened with his memory. He doesn’t know who he is or why he’s here. He isn’t Force-sensitive. He doesn’t know the First Order or his last name or his parents. A lot is missing from his mind. But I think we should give him a chance. We could use a pilot like him. He remembers how to pilot. Finn, he’s like a mini Han.”

Finn lifted an eyebrow, remembering how skilled Han was.

“Leia knows about this too, because I talked to her. That’s why I think I started a connection with you by accident. I just wanted to talk to Leia. She gave me directions on how she thinks the memory can be restored. But this is Leia’s son. And he’s real. And I really think that if it’s okay with you guys, he should belong to the Resistance.”

She loved her friends as they supported her decision to reflect on Tatooine for a while, but she wanted the chance to show them the side of Ben she always knew and loved. She didn’t want to be alone on Tatooine anymore. She wanted to be wherever Ben was, and that was home to her.

Poe drew a sharp breath as he heard about Leia because he had never met a general like her. He was willing to see the side of her son that was working towards improvement.

“I… knew nothing about that part.” After digesting Rey’s explanation, Finn remembered how difficult it was to accomplish defeating the First Order on Exegol with all of Palpatine’s obstacles. But that whole time, nobody knew about Rey- only her location. He remembered fragments of her on the Death Star, but he thought Kylo was purely evil and trying to hurt her. There was so much more now.

Rose looked into the camera at the unexpected pair, as she wrapped her arms between Finn and Poe and gave the biggest puppy eyes. She could tell something was up between Rey and Ben and she wanted them to be happy together, so why not bring them even closer together on base so everyone can see that too? “Please? They’re the definition of saving what we love.”

After a long pause, the trio stared at each other before looking into the hologram and seeing the potential of the light side that Ben had next to the genuine heart of the Resistance Rey embodied.

“You can come home, Rey.” Poe decided with an optimistic sigh. “So can you, Ben.”

Rey’s eyes widened as she couldn’t help but smile. The first thing she did was squeeze Ben’s hand, as even he was shocked by the answer.

Through the confusion of what home meant, Ben squeezed back.

“We’re on our way to base.” Rey replied with a new energy. “I’ll see you all later!”

They waved goodbye as Rey fixed BB-8’s antennae and stood up. “We’re going to base together!”

Ben followed her lead and stood up, trying to chuckle. “Your friends seem like they had a change of heart.”

Rey raced around her room, finding her sack to put her belongings in as she didn’t think this day would be here already. She mentally checked everything on her packing list, but wondered if one more item was worth bringing.

“Ben!” Rey’s eyes lit up, putting everything together. “I figured it out!”

Throwing her bag over her shoulder, she ran out of her house and Ben followed her. “What?”

She tried to remember the exact spot in the sand she buried the lightsabers. All she had to do was bring them up, and have Ben hold his legacy one! That would bring back his memory.

Holding her hand over the grainy pile of sediment, she pulled with all of her might to find the orange wrapping. She kneeled against the sand, as Ben sunk in the sand next to her, in awe with how the blanket appeared.

Untying and opening up the sabers, she explained what this was. “Lightsabers. They’re the most powerful weapon to fight with for Jedis, or force-sensitive people. Made with crystals. This lightsaber belonged to your family. If you turn it on, it glows blue. And this one was your mother’s. Her name was Leia. My lightsaber is yellow.”

Ben examined the silver outsides of the tools.

Rey held the legacy saber, blinking back sandy tears as the wind blew. “Listen, Ben. If you touch this lightsaber, you’ll get your memories back. This is really what you want, right?”

Ben knew the power that would be placed in his hand and the life it would bring back if he decided to touch it. He was willing to become one with his past and remember. It was time. His lips curled into a decisive grin as he carefully gazed at the girl who gave him so much purpose now in trying to rebuild what he once knew. She was a good companion to have throughout this time he couldn’t understand. Maybe he would even remember the person Rey was. It was worth seeing if the truth came from the touch.

“I want this.” His tone was clear and confident. No more turning back. He wouldn’t have to act so lost anymore.

Ben extended his hand over the blanket decisively as he came to terms with the fact that this would be the last moment with this version of himself. Rey carefully exchanged the legacy saber from her hand to his hand, as he felt his fingertips against the metal and inhaled, ready to be transported back to the life he knew.

Rey felt the hope stirring inside herself that Ben would return. She carefully watched as the wind picked up while he held on tight to the saber. This was it.

Ben shut his eyes, trying to concentrate. As much as he wanted to let the memories come to him, he put the saber down. Ben felt nothing.

The same as before. He didn’t want to disappoint Rey as he cracked a half-smile.

He shook his head no as Rey took the lightsaber back. She bowed her head in disbelief as she tied up Leia’s saber, gently lowering it back into the sand, while she handed over the legacy one to him. “Y-you should still keep it. This is yours.”

Ben nodded, holding the important object close to him. He didn’t want Rey to be sad about whatever happened with not getting his thoughts back.

The desert softly hummed as nobody wanted to say anything. Rey felt like she had failed Leia and Ben as her cheeks flushed a strong pink color. There was no hope in getting her Ben Solo back. Should she even bother bringing him to the Resistance?

“Take me home, Rey.”

Ben tried to smile, making the most out of the attempt.

Rey wished she could really show Ben what home meant if his parents were here. But the least she could do was introduce him to the Resistance. He could start a new life and find the light side in himself. It was time to board the ship now. She had a new outlook on how she would approach finding Ben Solo.

“I’ve got this,” Rey said as she wanted to pilot since Ben didn’t know the location of the base.

The tension of disappointment that no memories came back was evident between them, but Ben didn’t see this as a big deal. His memories would come back to him when the time was right. Instead of rushing, he realized Rey needed to take as long as she had to understand what happened and to find the real thing he had to hold on to. Rey was an exceptionally focused pilot, and she knew how to properly fly the ship. If people thought he was good at piloting… have they seen Rey yet?

Ben wanted to find the strength to bring up points of encouragement to Rey, but he just kept the space silent as he awaited the arrival of their new home. This Ben didn’t have a home, just an existence starting out at one random point and eventually ending at another. Apart of him wanted to remember his real home, his real family, his real purpose. But that would be revealed in due time. He had never been this far out of his comfort zone of planets he’s visited before. The twinkling black sky was behind Rey as she quietly continued to pilot, and Ben sat as her passenger, in awe.

As the ship broke into the atmosphere of the jungle base the Resistance was camped on still, Rey smiled to herself and could see Ben’s reflection from the jump through the glass window.

“I didn’t know there was this much green in the whole galaxy.” Ben soaked it all in, as Rey soared closer towards the canopies and towering trees that protected the camp from harm.

The pilot took a moment away from staring at the controls to shift her gaze in his direction and nod. Ben was right. And in his memory, he probably had never seen a jungle before. Just like she had, so many years ago, experiencing life off of Jakku. Rey prepared for the landing, as she lowered the ship in a clear patch of earth as the dots she saw below turned into people - her friends and supporters of the cause waving.

Ben waved back, realizing how big the Resistance was to him.

“We’re here. Ready?” Rey asked, laughing at Ben’s wave.

Ben nodded as they got off the ship together, stepping into the jungle of Ajan Kloss.

* * *

As Rey stepped off of the ship first, the Resistance circled around the ship and broke out in applause. Ben’s reception to this applause was confused, but Rey just kindly smiled before BB-8 buzzed over to Poe. Finn, Rose, and then Poe all ran up to hug Rey.

“I missed you guys,” Rey said under her breath, holding her friends she loved close to her before she broke the hug.

“Everyone, this is Ben. Ben Solo.” Rey spoke up, addressing the whole Resistance, as they broke out in cheers and claps again.

Ben shook his head, embarrassed about what he did to deserve all of this.

Poe moved from Rey to Ben immediately, shaking his hand. “Welcome to the Resistance! I’m General Poe Dameron. I’m officially making you a Pilot!”

Rey turned over to the two talking, as she was surprised by how fast Poe decided on Ben’s position. She was happy for him, though.

The Solo boy gulped over his new job, shaking the general’s hand. He was not expecting his role to be decided this quickly here.

“Congrats, man! Sorry about what I said earlier. I’m General Finn. If you need anything at all, please let me know. I work really well with pilots. Oh. And I really hope you won’t do this, but whatever you do…” Finn pulled Ben over further from the line of people waiting to meet him. “Please don’t hurt her.”

Ben was puzzled at Finn’s last words. Who was he going to hurt? Out of the corner of his eye Ben caught Rey talking to a golden droid. Did he mean Rey?

“I won’t.” Ben put his hand over Finn’s handshake in promise as Finn nodded and the next person approached him. “Good man, Ren! I mean, Ben!”

A petite girl looked up at the newest Resistance member. She tried to smile at him and think of a polite greeting, but she resorted to fidgeting with her medallion. This was the same girl from the hologram earlier.

Thoughts of Paige. The First Order. And DJ. The old Supreme Leader of the First Order, standing before her. He seemed like a person she would like to get to know. He seemed misunderstood. She wanted to tell him about her sister.

“I like your necklace.” Ben told her, noticing how detailed the jewelry was to break the awkward silence.

“Thanks. I mean, welcome. I’m Rose Tico.” Rose giggled as she shook his hand quickly before leaving the line and walking over towards Rey.

“So this is the man behind the mask. Ignite the spark.” A mysterious tone greeted him, as he could see his eyes through her complicated mask. She gave him a salute using two fingers over her forehead, before stepping out of line and strutting over towards Finn and Poe.

“When someone tells you ignite the spark, you’re supposed to answer with light the fire.” An older gentleman chuckled, walking over to greet the familiar boy with a cape draped around his body, cane in his hand and a heartwarming grin. “That was Zorri Bliss, a bounty hunter. I know you probably don’t remember me at all, but you’ve always been my favorite little starfighter. I’m your Uncle. The names Lando Calrissian, but when you were just a kid you called me Uncle Wanwo.” Lando shook his head, taking a breath to hold himself together before fighting back tears.

Ben felt comfortable with this person. He felt like family. He wished he remembered having an uncle like him - but now, it was official. This was his uncle. Forever.

“Do you mind if I hug you, kid? It’s just been so long…” Lando immediately embraced Ben, as Ben couldn’t help but hug back. “Your mom and dad would be so proud,” Lando said quietly, hugging Ben for a few more moments. Ben shut his eyes and thought of what his family was like if he could remember them. Everyone was so shocked Ben was home. Lando made him feel like home.

“You know, family doesn’t always have to be related by blood.” Lando tapped on Ben’s heart with a gleam in his eye that winked before he walked away from Ben, swinging his cane merrily towards some other Resistance members to talk about how he knew Ben ever since he was little.

After the flurry of greetings, everyone got back to their positions. Rey was proud of Ben for handling all of the introductions so well, and pleased with her friends that they respected this big adjustment in Ben's life.

Lieutenant Kaydel Ko Connix, in charge of night watch, had set up two cots for Ben and Rey in the area underneath an old open ship where the Resistance members slept. After Ben met more members of the Resistance and Rey was summoned for her first meeting back with the generals and how to approach an upcoming counterattack if the First Order struck first, it was finally time to rest.

Rey walked into the room and found her cot next to Ben’s and near Rose, sitting down and updating him about the rest of her day.

“Poe promised me that if we were going to execute a response if the First Order attacked, they wouldn’t use you as a pilot yet. You still have a lot to learn in the ways of the Resistance. And I really want to make sure you’re safe.” Rey said, looking out for him.

“That’s fine.” He answered in a flat tone, propping himself up on his cot. Ben was sad that his ways of supporting the cause were limited since he just started out. He really wanted to pilot a mission. “I heard that the attack might not even happen as predicted - or at least that’s what Beaumont said, so we could have a day off.”

If this was the Ben Solo who remembered, his reaction to not getting picked for this battle would be much different. He would fight Rey to prove he belonged out there, and pilot against her request of staying because it was only for the cause. Sometimes having no memories to draw on was a good thing. 

Rey thought about this prediction. Unless planned carefully, attacks never went according to a specific time. But if Ben wasn’t being used as a pilot at all, maybe this would give her the chance to get to know him more.

“I’m not doing anything tomorrow either.” Rey raised an eyebrow, smiling as she hugged her knees thinking of how much time they could spend together. She looked across the sea of cots as everyone was unwinding and getting themselves ready for bed. “Remember how you never saw this much green before?”

Ben nodded. “I can’t believe all of this is out here.” His eyes viewed the decaying metal ship they were under that was covered in vines, but still standing strong.

Rey sat down in her cot, trying to look at what part of the sky he was. “Ben, would you like to explore the forest with me tomorrow?”

Nobody had ever asked him to explore.

Rolling on his side to see Rey trying to rest, he answered.

“Of course I would.” He confirmed that tomorrow was a day meant for exploring far beyond the Resistance base with Rey.

“Hey, can I ask a question now?” His eyes lit up as Rey turned around to see Ben deep in thought.

He had a question about family.

“What do you know about my Uncle?”

“Lando?” Rey thought. She wished she knew more about him, but sensed how much the uncle and nephew meant to each other.

“Lando.” He told her.

They both said his name at the same time as Rey couldn’t help but smile at the fact Ben learned something, and Ben laughed.

“Oh Ben… I’ll tell you all about him… tomorrow. Rising moons.” Ben watched as the tired Rey drifted off to sleep.

He observed the rest of the members who were awake - Rose was reading, Poe and Finn were talking, Zorri was taking her helmet off, Kaydel was on night shift, BB-8 was rolling around. Gazing back upon Rey, she looked so peaceful. He was excited to hear about his family tomorrow and listen to Rey’s stories. As surreal as this day was, Ben could finally feel like he found his place.

And his place was with the Resistance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my present to you all! (for me, this update is on christmas eve!) as a smaller writer, i never thought i would get this much positive encouragement and feedback, i'm feeling beyond grateful! also don't mind me, i tried to make this chapter a little funnier than usual. 
> 
> i hope your days are filled with the people you love - lando said a quote in this chapter that sums up my feelings right now pretty well :')
> 
> until next time, thank you for the warm reception!
> 
> \- @cosmicreas


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone! i hope you're doing well. just so you aren't lost on how chapter 5 starts, as we probably all know somehow the first order is still out there. but how do some stormtroopers feel after exegol? who is the new supreme leader? you'll find out what's up in this chapter... and let me just say i am very excited to see where this goes! 
> 
> let me know how you like it so far! - @cosmicreas

_“Roll will be taken on the main hangar now. Blasters will be inspected. Helmets-_ ” A soothing robotic voice drilled into the speakers of the First Order’s Resurgent class Star Destroyer, the Everforward.

One in a crowd of thousands answered over the automated message.

“Must be on.” A girl echoed through her best Stormtrooper voice, sarcastically repeating the message they were told daily. This Trooper was young but had years of experience through the training regime. She never dared to step out of line, although she wanted so desperately to. Keeping everything to herself and her thoughts inside of her helmet felt like the way to go. If it wasn’t for height differences, she wouldn’t be able to tell who was who. She enjoyed calling Stormtroopers by the names her fellow troopers made up for each other, as long as her captains weren’t watching.

“Larson! Is your blaster clean?” She stood tall in her place, rubbing elbows with LA-207, or the male Stormtrooper they named Larson. One day they would take their helmets off and see each other. Making conversation with people felt more human.

“MH-445, I don’t think we were instructed to talk. You know my name, it’s LA-207.” He brushed his fingers over his spotless blaster before shaking his helmet at the shorter girl in his battalion. “You should shut up before the new Supreme Leader catches you.”

MH-445, otherwise known as Marhina, exhaled when she realized she could have better posture and resist the urge to talk if she wanted to live. Larson was right. Were they going to announce who got Supreme Leader today? She anxiously stood next to her comrades, in perfect view of the Sith Trooper who led her section. Except, this view was too perfect. The Trooper who stood in front of her in line was missing from roll, and her spot was empty as the higher-ups walked past every Trooper, compliantly handing over their blasters.

As Marhina’s turn for inspection wasn’t even close yet, the girl managed to whisper a worried “Gibi”.

Larson nodded, realizing GB106-42 was missing. This was Gibi, one of their Stormtrooper acquaintances. She always brought up the possibility of starting a rebellion, of leaving the First Order for good. Gibi explained how talented the Resistance was during the battle of Exegol, where she barely made it out alive on an escape pod. She admired their bravery to fight, instead of resorting to being cowards behind helmets. She had heard stories of the great FN-2187 and wanted to be like him. But she was too much of a poster child for the perfect Stormtrooper. She would never skip roll like this. Where was she? Did she get the job of Supreme Leader?

The door to the main hangar courtyard flew open. A single Stormtrooper entered the rows of lined up numbers. The room was silent as her feet squeaked against the polished floors, aimlessly dashing to her place. This was Gibi. And her legs couldn’t stop shaking from the fear of punishment. Behind the white head was a sweating Gibi, trying not to breathe too hard into her helmet. Sith Troopers immediately stepped in front of her, as they closed in on GB106-42’s personal space.

Silence fell upon the Stormtroopers. The Sith Troopers gave no orders. An eerie feeling hung around the ship before footsteps trailed the perimeter of the base. Suddenly, a force push made every helmet hang down. Everyone refused to talk, they just obeyed. This power sulking in the shadows would be dubbed the next Supreme Leader. Because they said so.

“At first, I didn’t pick a side.” The voice was loud and cunning, as through their helmets they could see shadows of a figure walking in between the rows of soldiers.

“The art of binding yourself t-to a cause,” This voice felt closer and could be anywhere, as it was out of Marhina’s vision now. Until she saw him.

“Could lead to your downfall.”

From the reflection of the floor, she noticed that this person was standing in front of the Sith Troopers and GB106-42. And somehow, Gibi was thrown into the air with her dangling legs kicking around, as she started to choke. Her helpless breaths could be heard from around the room. She tried to scream, before falling to the floor. The force push broke and all eyes were on the Stormtrooper on the ground, and the person standing over her dead body.

All because she was late?

“You joined the right cause. Now stay with the First Order.” Walking away from what he just did, Marhina wanted to step out of line and move her friend away from this mess. Instead, she was looking directly at someone of stature. He fixed his brimmed black hat, before walking onto the platform that he would address his army with.

“The Emperor is not dead. Our losses are nothing more than what our past settled for. From here on out, you will answer to me and me alone. I am Supreme Leader DJ.”

Silence fell again, awaiting on a mass reaction to the news that this was the future of the First Order. He seemed like an ordinary man, but his power was something that was feared amongst all. How did he possess great power and strength of the Force already? How could he be decided as the new Supreme Leader? Ever since Kylo Ren went missing, nobody was in charge…

“I came across a mandalorian,” He announced, taking singular steps across the stage. “Of course I beheaded him. But he told me something that shocked me to my core. I believe a war is starting. And we will finish it as victors.”

Suddenly, the black and red-lined mask of Kylo Ren flew into his palm as it made a thundering sound, rippling through the eerie courtyard. “This was your Supreme Leader. He has been missing for a month now. He attempted to kill Palpatine! The mandalorian informed me that he saw someone of Ren’s resemblance on Mos Eisley with a member of the Resistance. He is the enemy! We will not rest until he is found again, and brought to me, alive.” 

First, the Sith Troopers began to put their fists in the air as a sign of respect. This spread across the whole army, as Larson and Marhina found themselves raising their fists in agreement. Did Kylo Ren really betray the First Order?

“Every planet. Every star system. Nothing shall go unturned.” DJ closed out his speech.

“Dismissed.”

All of the Stormtroopers marched out of their rows as Marhina tried to take a look down at the ground at GB106-42, but Larson pushed her forward, straight into their conditioning segment of the day.

* * *

On base after a Resistance family breakfast, Poe wanted to give Ben a tour of what to expect on the behind the scenes parts of being a pilot in the Resistance.

“This is my headset. Generals get headsets.” Poe explained, showing the fascinated Ben how he communicated. Finn’s station was directly next to Poe’s, as he was studiously researching something with a cup of blue milk in hand. He raised his milk to Ben and Poe, wanting to make a point.

“No headset for a beginner pilot, yet. There’s gonna be a microphone in your helmet. But wait, Poe, give him the walkie.” Finn suggested, swiveling around in his chair to get back to work.

Poe realized what Finn meant as he nodded and pulled out a small walkie-talkie beacon device for Ben. “Just in case I have to call in pilots, you’ll hear me over the walkie. Keep it on you at all times. What I like to do is put it on the lowest volume so only you can hear because sometimes missions are classified and limited to only certain members.”

Accepting the device and pressing a button to turn the volume down to a level he could hear, Ben slipped the walkie into the pocket of his black pants. “Thanks, guys! I really appreciate the help. I’ll make sure to listen for my call.” Ben laughed nervously, hoping he would get a call to serve one day.

“Not a problem! The perks of being redeemed! Oh. One more thing. Whenever you want to close out a greeting before something big happens, we like to say a few signature words.” Poe looked in Finn’s direction, as he picked up on what he meant.

“May the Force be with You,” Finn revealed as Ben picked up the saying. It sounded so hopeful.

“Well if I don’t see you before your next mission, May the Force be with you both.” He said for the first time with all of his heart, smiling at his two new friends as he parted with them, stepping out of the general’s quarters and back into the hub of the base.

The presence of the Resistance was calming. Around corners, people were helping repair ships. Droids and creatures were conversing out in the open. Certain people continued to do certain jobs, like ship watching, as Ben walked past a concentrated Kaydel negotiating to someone over a hologram that their weapon shipments should be safe to land, and Zorri leaning her arms over Kaydel’s desk as she noticed the boy catch her eye.

“Ben! Rey was looking for you.” Zorri’s purple mask tilted toward the left, as Ben nodded up at his friends and went along his way to find her.

Rey was sitting down in a clearing at the front of base on the edge of the camp, levitating with a few small rocks around her. Her eyes were closed as she remained focused on her breathing before she sensed a disruption and she woozily tipped over, realizing Ben had watched all of that. Ben didn’t even mind the falling part. He thought her dedication was so interesting, and she looked kind of cute practicing her powers.

Rising from the ground, Rey wiped her dress off before giggling. She hadn’t seen Ben at all today since she decided to skip breakfast and take a run at her training course she had to fix before she presented it to everyone later. Ben went to breakfast alone but decided to sit with Beaumont and Rose as soon as he saw them. Now, the day was just beginning for the two of them as Rey naturally gazed up at Ben and his supportive demeanor. His hair was more neatly combed today, and she noticed he put on one of Poe’s plain shirts with his signature black pants. He looked better. He looked like what Rey would imagine him as a child. She could just stare at him forever. Until he broke the sweet silence.

“So, did you still want to go explore today?” He asked, shrugging his shoulders up as if he didn’t care what they did.

“Yeah!” Rey doubled over in a quick nervous laugh as she blushed for some reason, realizing that this could technically be a date between them. She never went on a real date with Ben Solo.

“Let me just… pick up these rocks!” She gushed, lifting her arms up to move the rocks that were scattered around the forest floor to a small box she put them in for the next time she worked on her mantra.

“Okay,” Ben replied with a gentle tone as he watched her put the rocks away using the Force. When she finished, Rey gave Ben a thumbs up and smiled. She was ready to go right into the forest with him.

Ben caught up to her as they entered the uncharted territory that the Resistance didn’t claim. She took Ben on the opposite side of the training course so she wouldn’t mess anything up for the big presentation later. Base seemed smaller and smaller as Rey and Ben started to walk at a slow pace next to each other, taking in the fresh warm air of Ajan Kloss.

“Lando is actually one of the oldest Resistance members here. He found us again and decided to join the new generation because of Leia’s impact. Leia, your mother that is.” Rey said as she walked under a few vines that Ben held higher so she wouldn’t get hit by them. “Lando found a bunch of us at the Festival of Ancients on Pasaana. I had never been to a festival before! There was so much color and life and dancing… and children!” Rey pictured what it was like to be on a busy desert with people celebrating each other. And Lando guided everyone to safety. Ben eventually got to Pasaana, of course, he didn’t remember and he was very stubborn, but Rey was still glad he showed up even if they were at odds with each other at the moment.

Listening to Rey talk about something she was excited about made Ben empathize with that same joy. He had never recalled going to a festival - as Rey was describing it, he thought he could see the bright plumes of colored smoke, the natives dancing, the kids he imagined if he actually went to Pasaana. He walked beside her in the woods.

“Lando is a very nice man. I can see how he is your Uncle. He also tells me how close he was with your father, Han. I wish I was there to watch my parents grow up. Your parents too. If Han was here… oh my god. I would tell him how you literally are him. Your piloting skills are identical,” She raised her eyebrows and smiled brightly, pointing at Ben knowing that this was true.

Someone from above in the Solo existence had to recognize the parallel because it was so strong. The genes that were passed down were phenomenal.

“I miss Han, but I know he’s in a better place now.” Rey’s voice shifted a little quieter as she scuffed her boot at a stone in her path, before stepping over it and sighing. Her father figure was out there, somewhere.

“Did I ever tell you that you were a good pilot too?” Ben wanted to compliment her back because it was true. She was feisty but in control the whole time. Just like a starfighter should be. He paused before thinking about how to word the question he wanted to ask next. “Where is Han?”

Stepping over a fallen down tree with him, Rey stopped in her tracks as she knew this question was bound to come up sometime. And she really wished he could have just remembered. It was tough for her to explain, but necessary.

“Ben… you killed your father.” The words fell out in a grave tone, as she looked at him and tried not to cry.

“I did?” Ben stopped walking too, realizing the gravity of what she just told him he did. “I… don’t know how to react. Because I bet if I remembered him, I would feel different. I can’t believe that.” He shook his head, wanting to deny the fact that he supposedly killed his father he couldn’t remember.

“I watched it happen. You talked to him though, and you shared your last moments together before it happened with a lightsaber. It wasn’t the easiest choice to make, but you knew it was right in your mind because you were fighting your own battles. Your parents loved you, they gave a damn about you. But you were broken. And easily weakened by the dark side of the Force from Palpatine. I’ve seen your good side, Ben. And the old you that I knew, you gave up your power to just be yourself. And I know you were working to get your family back. And they will always love and support you, no matter what. You just have to open yourself up and talk to them.” Rey realized the bonds he could work on with Leia or Han if he regained his memory as she poured her feelings out into her story. Han and Leia were important figures in Rey’s life. Ben was there for her in times when she had nobody. The Solos meant something to Rey, more than they would ever know.

As butterflies soared around the canopies of trees, the two kept walking while Rey caught Ben up with more little random facts about himself. “I heard people called you little starfighter when you were a kid. I didn’t really get a nickname when I was younger.” She responded. “I also heard you were considered the Prince of Alderaan. Your defiance would shake the stars, Ben.” Rey told him in a voice straight out of a storybook, as Ben was eager to hear more about the person he was.

After walking through the greenery for a while, they had come to another clearing but this time in the middle of the land was a small waterfall, cascading down the front of a cave of rocks with one rock ledge sticking out of the waterfall, and into a little pool of water before them. Rey had never seen water as calm as this before, as the sound of the rushing water made her excited. Ben wasn’t sure what to think, the closest thing to seeing something like this was the spigots at the cantina. She admired the water, but walked around the sides of it, deciding to explore the cave. Ben stood where he was as the ripples of water calmly showed him his reflection.

Ben wondered if he looked like his mom or his dad. He tried to reach his hand out to touch the water, hoping that his reflection would change to give him a better idea of his parents, but it stayed the same. Something intrigued him, though. He wanted to go in.

Rey thought she knew every part of Ajan Kloss, but she had never seen this waterfall or cave before. The cave was spacious and it’s walls were crystallized, but rounded off to only a few feet so it felt smaller. Rey tried to look at herself in the wall but knew this wouldn’t have the same power as the cave on Ahch-To. The view from behind as the backside of the waterfall sparkled in the sunlight captured the essence of the cave. Rey smiled, wishing she was around calmer water more often. She thought of a way to surprise Ben as she lifted a few fingers to part the waterfall, creating an opening for Rey to see the whole pool of water and Ben on the shore.

Except, Ben wasn’t on the grass.

“Rey, look!” He was standing up to his waist in the shallow water, fully clothed. He waved at her, before running through the water and over to the rock Rey was standing on, as Rey could not believe this. Still using the force to separate the waterfall so she wouldn’t get wet, she held her hand up in the air and playfully rolled her eyes. Ben must’ve never seen water before.

“Come in!” He encouraged, splashing around. He didn’t have a care in the world, as Rey had never seen Ben so amazed - and having fun, with something like water. She would totally act like this, though. Rey shook her head no.

“Please?!” He asked, wading closer to the rock as he held his hand out for her to jump into the water. Whenever Ben held his hand out, Rey knew she had to take it. This was just instinct. And he was acting surprisingly cute. This is the hand she wanted to take. Ben’s hand.

And when she took his hand, she didn’t jump in yet. She just felt the rush of the waterfall all rain down on her, because when Rey moved her hand she had stopped using the Force. Rey stood there, shocked and wet, laughing at the fact she was drenched since the water moved back. Spitting out water from her mouth and fixing her three buns, she broke out in giggles again. Ben was laughing too, as Rey finally jumped in, holding his hand.

“It’s so wet.. and cold.” She chattered, catching a burst of infectious laughter as she adjusted to the water with him. How long had they been out here? Rey lost track of time when she was with Ben.

“This is water, Rey!” Ben said as he laced his hand into hers. Ben was accepting his discovery of water too.

“I know you don’t remember seeing this, but I can tell you we fought in water before,” Rey told him, following wherever Ben swam first because she still held on to his hand as she leaned against the rocks on the pool wall to get out.

“Wait,” Ben turned around to look down at Rey, confused as he pushed her against the rocks gently. “Why would we ever fight?”

Ben fighting Rey? There was no way he could, ever. She was too kind.

Putting a shivering hand on his damp chest to make it hold still, Rey gazed up at him and shook her head. She didn’t want to ruin the moment, so she didn’t explain why she and Kylo always fought. “I… don’t know.”

Her response was genuinely curious on her end, thinking why she ever fought him as she looked into his eyes and tried to find the Ben Solo she knew. He had leaned against her, so Rey instinctively wrapped her legs around his body as they floated on the edge of the water. Rey liked this feeling of clinging onto him. Even though they both were unfamiliar with water, she felt safer around it with him. Rey caught a cold breath, as her left hand lingered to hold his cheek for a moment.

This time, they mutually leaned in to brush their lips against each other. Ben was thinking of going in for the kiss, and Rey wanted to be first again desperately, but these thoughts were forgotten as they just shyly embraced one another in the water. Ben carefully slipped his hand around Rey’s waist to hold onto it, as for a moment they were ready to kiss each other. Right n-

_“Arrhhhhnghhh!”_ A growl ensued.

Ben glanced at Rey as he squinted.

“Dang.” She whispered in the quietest voice, her lips curling into a serious smile.

Rey knew exactly who this was from, as she shut her eyes and lightly hit her head against Ben’s, knowing they weren’t alone anymore. Chewbacca found them at the waterfall too, and he let out his signature roar to announce he was here. Backing away from Ben and ready to get out of the water, Ben put his fists up willing to fight the Wookiee.

“No, Ben. We don’t fight Chewbacca. He’s a member of the Resistance too. Chewie, this is Ben Solo, Han and Leia’s son but you already knew that. Anyways, why did you come to find us, Chewie?” Rey tilted her head, slightly irritated but happy that they had broken away from each other like that - if they didn’t, she knew she would of completely ignored Chewie and just become lost in Ben.

From what Rey could interpret, Chewie was looking for Rey because Jannah was ready to talk to her about the training courses she was working on. This was understandable. Rey didn’t tell anyone where she was going or who she was with today, so maybe it was time to go back to base.

“Ben, would you like to come back to base with us?” Rey asked him, standing back on the earth in her dripping white dress that glowed from the setting sun. “I have to work on a project.”

Ben was fine with going back, stepping out of the water before peeling his shirt off and wringing it out. When Rey realized he would do this, she shook her head to herself and laughed knowing if he was shirtless in front of her friends it would just end up in an embarrassing question and answer session. She didn’t mind him without a shirt at all. “By the time we get back, I expect that shirt to be on.”

Chewbacca ran up to Ben to hug him and serve as his towel as Ben nodded back towards Rey in understanding.

The walk back to base was quiet. Chewbacca said a few words about how he had a good day today. Rey could fully process what Chewbacca was saying, but she couldn’t stay mad at the adorable Wookiee for third-wheeling. At the most random times strolling next to each other, Ben and Rey’s eyes somehow met and they just gazed at each other before one of them clumsily tripped over a tree stump or almost ran into a vine. Of course, they laughed each other and helped each other up, but the closer to base they got the more serious they had to be they realized.

Ben put his shirt back on and Rey waved at him before going past the generals quarters and into the control room to work on the course. As soon as she found Jannah, Rey smiled at her. “Jannah! I’m back! Sorry it took so long, I was out finding materials for the courses to run better all day. I found a waterfall, but it’s a little far from here.” She tried to make the most of her excuse.

Jannah adjusted her goggles and grinned at one of her closest Resistance members, as she greeted the person she was collaborating with. “I totally understand! I was looking at the old Jedi course Leia made, and I kept most of the elements. I also started one for pilots off of an old X-wing, a course on how to quickly patch things up for engineers, a computer-based system for the technology department, and firing squad practice in a course. Every course depends on the role you have with us, but I think it would be great if you demonstrated how at least the Jedi one went for all of base one day! I think we should make training logs and make sure every member at least runs one course so everyone has a little background on what they’re in for.”

“Jannah, you’re a genius! We’ll go more prepared into anything than anyone else in the galaxy then! People will understand the process of their roles here, and get hands-on practice with it!” She knew the idea of the Jedi course and it’s run through was of the most sacred importance, but Jannah bringing up the idea to make sure every person got a training course in their field would set them apart from The First Order for sure. Rey looked over the blueprints and made a few more course revisions, as the two girls talked into the night.

Chewbacca stared at them through the closed door, wondering how the course planning was going, as he turned around and saw Kaydel end a transmission. “Chewie, grab the generals for me.”

Chewie darted over to yell at Poe and Finn, and the two ran by his side back to Kaydel’s station.

“I just got word The First Order was raiding planets NOW. If you make the squadron you assigned for the first mission earlier, we can barricade base so they won’t touch us.” Kaydel suggested in a panic, frantically typing into her keyboard trying to scramble the entrances to their part of Ajan Kloss.

“The FO doesn’t know where our camp is yet. We have to defend it.” Finn decided, holding a hand on Poe’s shoulder. “We can take it to the skies instead of the land if we’re strong enough.”

“We need more hands on deck, then. One squadron isn’t enough. Bring in a few more pilots and gunners, Finn. And make it snappy!” Poe said, before running down the steps and into the patch of land where the ships were parked. “Kaydel, send word to the first-rounders to get in their ships! I’ll get the others I want!”

BB-8 realized a battle was about to begin as he never left Poe’s side, and the familiar trample of boots, helmets being exchanged, good luck kisses, and panic ascending into the air started. He was following Poe as Poe ran up to his station and gripped the master walkie talkie.

“This is an order from General Dameron! If you get this message, you ARE needed for an immediate counterstrike. Prepare your ships now and turn these to full volume for further instructions. May the Force be with us!” He spoke into the walkie talkie, alerting everyone if they were needed or not.

As Ben pulled his device out of his pocket, he realized what it was saying. This was Poe. Poe was telling him to board his ship immediately. Was there any time to say bye to Rey? Wasn’t he not supposed to go? He would be fine. He had to go and fight up in the air now. Running across base and into the crowd of several other pilots called, he saw Finn giving orders for takeoff. Ben found his ship and got inside, putting on a Resistance helmet that was already placed in the seat of the cockpit.

Putting the white and orange helmet over his head, Ben realized he was in it for good now. No turning back. This was his first time piloting for the Resistance. He didn’t want to let anybody down, and really impress General Dameron and Finn for his first mission. Putting the walkie talkie next to the controls, he waited for directions as he got into the air with the other ships.

“Ben Solo here.” He confirmed he was ready, as Poe and Finn in their respective ship grinned at each other. They added some of the best arsenal to the Resistance.

“Alright, so here’s the plan!” Poe was ambitious to begin, as he steered the general’s ship in front of the Resistance’s put together fleet lit by the stars of Ajan Kloss.

* * *

“So my plan was for them to have their logs checked off by one of us the first time they complete training, and whenever they feel like they should redo it, we can sign for them again.” Jannah and Rey were sharing ideas far into the night, making sure the debut training day for the Resistance was perfect.

“I agree. We have a bunch of old leaves we could use for the logs.” Rey liked how Jannah was thinking, as she paced around her workspace, holding the revised Jedi training course directions close. “I told Poe and Finn that we should have the session in the next few days.”

“Yes! That’s brilliant.” Jannah stood up, finalizing the plans before sorting them by role. “And with that, we’re done! Thank you for the help, Rey!”

“It’s my pleasure. I really want us to succeed, and understand the fundamentals of what our purpose is here. You are making such a big impact yourself, and you haven’t even been here for a proper amount of time. That’s incredible. Anyways, I’ll see you tomorrow Jannah! Let me know if you want to plan out more and of course, I’ll be there!” Rey told her friend, picking up a few items Jannah suggested to help improve the course as Rey left the room. Chewbacca was still waiting outside, and Kaydel was sleeping at her computer screen.

Quickly walking by, Rey could see dots formulating on the interface. Were those dots ships trying to get in or out of Ajan Kloss? Interesting. Rey walked down the stairs and to base, where a campfire was being stepped on, and a few stray fighters ran in different directions. It was nighttime, usually base could have fires on. The woods seemed more open since fewer ships were around. Why? Walking past the smoke, Rey made her way to the start of the course where she put down a Stormtrooper helmet, a wooden set of small stairs, and a faux lightsaber. Wiping her brow and sighing longingly, she wondered why it was so quiet on the base.

The logical response was that it was nighttime, and everyone was asleep like she should be. Rey decided she would figure out where the new additions to the course went in the morning, as she crunched a few leaves under her feet to make her way to the cots. She noticed Rose was awake, and reading the Jedi text Rey gave her, as Rey approached Rose.

“Hi, Rose!” Rey spoke up, sitting down on the edge of her bed.

“Rey!” Rose beamed, closing her book and smiling as she reached over for a hug. “How are you?”

“I’ve been well, actually. Tired. I planned out how the course day is going to go with Jannah. I’m really excited to see how everyone reacts.” Rey told her friend honestly, as Rose’s eyes lit up. Rose was excited about the technician course. She was always searching for ways to get better. “How are you, Rose? It feels pretty quiet tonight.”

“Yeah, I’m doing the best I can! When Finn told me he was actually starting the mission tonight, I thought he was crazy. So he and Poe rounded up the squadrons they could and are going to be up in the air until the First Order tries to raid base. I’m not sure why they are starting to raid planets all of a sudden, both sides haven’t done anything since Exegol. Finn said they just wanted to protect the planet before they decided to attack us on land. I take my mind off this by reading your book. And listening to my watch if Finn says anything.” Rose smoothed over the cover, explaining the situation as she tried to force a laugh.

As soon as Rose told her the mission was starting early, Rey sprung to her feet. Looking at the empty cots next to Rose, Poe and Finn were long gone. Whipping around to run over to her cot, she realized Ben wasn’t in his either. Putting her hand over her forehead and sinking into her bed, Rey thought of where else he could be, other than in the air right now. She was worried sick.

“Rey, what’s going on?” Rose asked, perking up as she noticed Rey was in a panic.

“Ben is up there, isn’t he.”


	6. Chapter 6

As the Resistance squad raised higher into the atmosphere of a night in Ajan Kloss, the realization that the leadership of this army was in the hands of the two newest generals sunk in. The sticky jungle air could be felt from up here.

“We’re in charge. We’re in charge.” Finn said to himself, holding on tight to the switch that helped fire the cannons on the ship designed specifically for generals. It was rare that Poe glanced over at his co-pilot, nodding.

“Yes we are, so let’s do this the right way. Look at the screen and let me know if any First Order ships are coming, and from what distance. Confirm with Kaydel if you feel like they’re getting closer than they should be. I’ll direct the others.” Poe decided, holding on to the steering wheel as he gave a salute through his helmet.

“Who we got?” Poe muttered to himself glancing at his screen, seeing every dot come up for the ships that were active.

_Beaumont, Jannah, Zorri and Babu, Lando, Klaud, and Chewbacca, Commander D’Arcy, Lieutenant Tyce, First-year recruits,_

_Ben Solo._

“Listen! Bring your ship in line with ours. We’re going to make sure no First Order gets in, or out. The first ones we see, aim for. Pursue one ship and make sure it goes down. If you get their bombers, even better. The farther away you shoot, the easier it will be for the ships to fall into the part of the jungle we’re not using. Give this everything you’ve got. Stand tall, Rebels, defend our base!” Poe encouraged, his hands gripping the trigger with an eagerness to shoot.

“Incoming First Order brigade. 5 TIE fighters and 1 whisperer, 3 bombers, 1 Star Destroyer with cannons activated.” Kaydel had no choice but to let the opponent onto the playing field, opening the base’s forcefield to allow them to try and fly down.

Alone in the sky and only listening to the hum of his engine and Poe’s directions, Ben sat in his ship thinking about when it was time to make a difference. He felt lonely, and thinking of what this First Order could look like. His ears picked up the sound of roaring engines coming from above, as he could see black figures zoom closer. This was it.

“By the looks of it, we got the Star Destroyer. Beaumont and Zorri, get the bombers away from here. Everyone else, X-wings. Fire away.” Poe decided, spreading out the work across the people he had.

As the sleek, more polished ships loomed overhead and started to pick up speed, the Resistance began to catch them and target them easily. Until The First Order retaliated for themselves.

* * *

The Supreme Leader overlooked how his fleet was with a satisfied smirk, inching closer to the jungle that the Resistance showed up to defend. He walked back into his quarters to watch the footage of how every individual ship was doing, as he did not want to get hit by the crossfires.

LA-207’s TIE fighter was only connected with MH-445’s. They were placed into these ships because of their accuracy and attention to detail, and also how easy it is to force younger Troopers to submit to the cause by pressuring them into these do or die situations.

Larson looked out his window to see a TIE fighter skid down and explode onto the grounds of the jungle, as he continued his journey and used his gun to fire upon the most random ships he could. These ships looked pathetic.

The battle in the sky was back and forth, as nobody got past the Resistance and onto the ground to raid the planet yet.

DJ was thinking of letting the bombers drop the bombs on the jungle to witness it explode in flames. If nothing was on the planet, Ajan Kloss would be worthless. Even if Kylo Ren was on it, he would be caught in a wildfire.

LA-207 kept shooting at the general’s ship.

* * *

Poe and Finn repeatedly shot at the Star Destroyer until one of the cannons fell off and stopped firing back. Through the struggle, they started to get burns and bruises of their own. They could hear the announcements over their headsets about who was accomplishing what.

“I took down a fighter!” Zorri reported proudly.

“I did too and it ran into a bomber, taking them both!” Beaumont added. “There’s a really clever pilot who is doing some spin moves and trying to get closer to the ground, so watch them!”

Ben could hear Beaumont’s advice, as his eyes cast upon the singular TIE fighter doing circles lower into the sky. He wanted to pursue this one, as he fired his first successful shot into the side of the ship.

“Woo!” Ben yelled excitedly as he moved some controls around to recharge. His first aim at a TIE fighter ever and he already did something right!

Hearing Ben’s energetic yell, Poe realized who it was from. “Someone’s excited.”

Poe and Finn took a few hits from a TIE before flying away.

* * *

Watching her Troopers ships go down and how their transmissions cut to static, Marhina tensed up and began to do loops to try to get closer to the jungle. She was doing this partially because she didn’t want to shoot at anyone, and because she was a nervous wreck and at least wanted to please her Supreme Leader if she could successfully make it onto land.

She was doing the best she could until a quick bullet dinged the wing of her ship. Marhina immediately smelled smoke and jumped, thinking she was going to die. Nobody came to back her up.

“Larson! I just got scraped so if I die-“ The young girl sniffled, clearly shaken by her first damage. She wanted to at least let Larson know if before she was about to go.

She collected rapid breaths before she opened her eyes to see the Resistance ship that attacked her. Whoever was in that ship was going to get how that felt right back.

Until she noticed who was in the pilot's seat. She didn’t want to believe it. She knew.

It was definitely Kylo Ren.

Black hair, black clothes, and an aggressive handle on the controls. Who else could it be, shooting against his First Order?

If she turned him in right now, she would be rewarded. But what if she just let him fight on the side he wanted to?

Marhina could figure something out. Lowering her gun to aim it, she began to shoot multiple rounds all across Kylo Ren’s ship, as she overheard another bomber collapse. Swooping out of the way so she wouldn’t get hit, she noticed Kylo’s ship go under from the cloud of impact. Marhina smirked, then changed her attitude to try to make everyone leave the area.

“Supreme Leader, fleet, I’m the closest to the jungle. I just scanned the entire jungle and there is no sign of life. Our bombers are destroyed anyways. I say we retreat so we can conserve our energy. This is not a planet worth raiding, at this point in time Ren would realize our antics and be elsewhere. Can we move on to the next planet, which is Crait?”

She wanted to keep who she saw a secret.

Supreme Leader DJ listened closely to what his Trooper was telling him. Generals surrounded their leader as he walked out of his quarters, agreeing with what MH-445 said. The fleet needed a few repairs now, but it really was okay to take a step back from Ajan Kloss and go elsewhere.

“If MH-445 is telling the truth, there is no point in being here. Give your final shots, and retreat back to the Everforward.” DJ said with no remorse in his voice.

Marhina sighed, her heart pounding from all the pressure she had, as the First Order backed up and left the planet.

The last shots were directed to the biggest ship the Resistance had, as the sky of Ajan Kloss was turning a midnight black of smoke and embers into the early hours of the morning.

* * *

After Jannah had to land her broken ship due because of an engine failure, and Beaumont went down, Poe and Finn watched the dots decrease. When Ben Solo’s dot went out, they knew something must of went wrong.

And the First Order was leaving.

"Finn, do you see Ben's dot anywhere? Shit." Poe said as he slammed his helmet, moving a few levers around. The last person they needed to go down was Ben. 

“Ben!?” Finn panted as he held the cut on his arm, talking into the walkie talkie.

Ben didn’t answer his walkie-talkie. He just felt the world suddenly change around him as he sunk into his seat, feeling the rush of adrenaline go to his head. He was clearly shot at, as his ship began to catch on fire. He could still fly it, as he moved forward with all of his might before more flames and smoke began to crash around him.

“Alright Resistance, go back to base! Follow the ship in front of you!” Poe made the executive decision to end the fight and make sure everyone got home safely.

“I was caught off guard….” Ben finally piped up into his walkie talkie, his face scratched and body developing multiple burn marks. Taking his helmet off, he noticed shards of debris around his ship. Rey wasn’t suitable to fly anymore as he followed the X-wing in front of him, almost reaching earth. Thinking of Rey, Ben’s eyes shut as he dozed off, his senses overwhelmed with the hit he took. His ship skidded into a rough landing, as people on the ground crowded around the damaged ships that came in, the reception of cheers for the people who made it back and screams for the hurt was deafening.

Rey was restless to sleep, knowing that Ben had somehow was fighting already. She wanted answers, as she could hear explosions in the sky and sense the damage being done to both sides. Did the First Order know that Ben joined the Resistance? Why was it a good idea to start a fight with them again? Turning over to Rose who was still reading a chapter of the text and comforting her best friend, Rey could feel the gust of wind that only ships had when coming home.

The two girls ran out of the bedroom and into the sea of ships and people reuniting. Rey could smell the strong smoke and burning parts as she tried to command who she could to help the injured. “We need nurses, droids, and medkits!”

Poe had limped off of the general's ship as Finn ran in another direction, while Rose chased after him. Rey stood in the middle of the split as she threw her arms up in the air, side-eyeing at the people who were probably behind the decision to let Ben fly. Reversing her steps, she tried to follow up with Finn and his rationale on letting Ben go until she realized Rose and Finn were helping Ben out of his own mangled ship Rey was standing in front of.

Rey shook her head in denial, seeing a worn-out Ben with cuts on his face, a wound on his chest, and burns around his legs. She knew he wasn’t ready yet. Ben’s weight on his feet couldn’t balance out, so he slumped his head in a daze as everyone encouraged him to walk straight. Upset with Finn, Rey took over as she put his arm around her shoulder. “I want to talk to you later.” She said in a serious tone as Rey and Rose brought Ben to the medical area and up onto a better quality cot.

“You didn’t have to fight today,” Rey whispered down at him, wondering if he could hear as Rose ripped off the bloody shirt he had on before to see the wounds underneath better, and Ben winced in pain.

“I’m getting him an IV for his vitals, some ice, and ointment. Can I also get a nurse droid over here?!” Rose called out, wanting help as she rushed around the patient trying to give him as much support as possible. “He’s going to be okay, he’s just fried from whatever impact he had.”

“Someone said a TIE fighter shot directly at him, when we were landing he must have lost consciousness,” Poe mentioned, bandaging his hand up as Finn was behind him, wrapping his leg. “I’m glad he’s okay now, he’s one of our better assets.”

Rey didn’t even have to turn around before she knew who was talking, and she wanted to snap.

“LISTEN! You put all of our rebels in danger today! And going behind my back to call Ben in? You put him in so much harm without me even knowing! You could’ve called ME in instead of him, you know what he’s going through, he’s inexperienced! Just next time tell me so I don’t have to lose my friends in the middle of the night to the First Order again okay?” Rey never raised her voice, but she found herself yelling at her closest friends over their foolishness. The same knots tied in her stomach she had for hours still remained, lurching at how seriously she was scolding them. She wanted to cry. 

“He’s not going to be able to fly for a while until he gets medically cleared,” Rose informed everyone.

“It was my mistake. I had the idea of bringing more people on today, him, first-year recruits. It wasn’t the right move. I think the Resistance got banged up tonight, but Ben really took one for the team.” Poe shook his head, hoping for his speedy recovery. Theoretically, Poe considered himself the best pilot. This proved that Ben couldn’t come close to hanging as one of the best.

“We’re sorry, Rey. We really are. We’ll work on making better decisions. We’re supposed to be leaders as generals, not risking the lives of everyone else.” Finn realized, looking seriously upset with Ben’s injured outcome.

“We can all learn from this.” Rey sighed in a lighter tone, as Poe and Finn made their rounds to make sure the other Resistance members were feeling okay too. Rose and her nurse droid got everything set up for Ben, as he fell asleep.

“He’s just sleeping. He’ll probably be knocked out for a while. The nurse droid can feed him and look after him tonight. But you can always visit his room too.” Rose added. “I’m going to go back outside to triage.”

Rey nodded as she bit her lip, trying to accept the fact that he was just sleeping. He was injured and pretty banged up, but he was alive and recovering from his skid. He would be safe in the medical area, and with her around. She just didn’t want to lose sight of him for the long again.

To pass the time, Rey worked on more revisions for the Jedi course now that she was motivated and angry with how today turned out. She also made a mental note that she should bring up to Jannah how the pilot course should have all possible scenarios if a ship gets hit or goes down. Sprinting through the jungle, swinging her lightsaber, and jumping between landscapes, Rey watched the smoky skies fade away to a quick sunset before it was night already.

As most people involved today in the skirmish were already discharged, Rey approached the medical area in search of Ben again. He was still asleep, but it looked like his wounds were still open and not treated correctly. Rey thought about how she could help here, as she decided that she could use some of her energy to force heal him. Feeling the temperature of his forehead, she sighed as she quietly placed her hands over his chest. She made sure to only use a little energy, but at the same time be sure the deep wounds healed quicker.

Ben felt a presence of light graze above him as he opened his eyes to feel powerful butterflies around his chest. He sat up in bed, realizing Rey was standing over him, and she must have been using her powers to make him feel better. “Rey.”

“Shhh. Relax How are you feeling?” She noticed his muscles were tensing up as she tried to massage them to relax them.

“Like the worst Resistance pilot ever.” He laughed, embarrassed that whatever he did in the sky probably made him look bad and the Resistance’s easiest target. He gazed at Rey lovingly, ending his painful reactions.

“Don’t say that, Ben. They just thought you were ready to pilot so they wanted to use you right away. You still have so much to learn. I was worried about you, I didn’t want to lose you again. When you recover, you’ll be ready to fly.” Rey assured him as she stopped using the force to find dressings to put over the closed wounds.

“Do you want to hear something?” Ben asked as he watched his wounds fade and be covered up, running his fingers through his sweaty black hair eager to tell Rey something he remembered. He smiled.

“My parents were named Han and Leia. And my uncle’s name…” Rey’s eyes lit up as soon as he could recall Han and Leia’s names. She couldn’t believe he would remember a detail as small as that. Smiling as she got a cloth to clean his scratches, she waited for Lando’s name.

After a pause of silent thought, Ben shrugged, innocently looking back up at Rey for help. He couldn’t quite remember.

“Lando. Your uncle’s name is Lando, Ben.” She reminded him, conflicted on how he could have a setback on the new information, yet recite a fact. “Can you walk? Because if you can’t I’ll push this cot out of here. I have a friend I want you to meet.”

Ben wobbled out of his bed but made it to his feet as he stood in his spot for a minute, firmly planted. “Can you hold my hand?” He gazed down at her.

Rey nodded, handing him a white nurse’s long sleeve. “Here.” She held it up over his head as he slipped into the shirt before she held onto his hand tightly.

As they left the medical area, base was a good kind of quiet tonight. Everyone was calming down and resetting after the battle. Rey knew who she could go to if she needed to talk to someone, as she approached Maz’s alcove with Ben.

Hoping she was still awake, Rey knocked on her door while still holding on to Ben’s hand.

“Visitors!” Maz declared as she put her circular glasses on, realizing who she was talking to. _“Ben Soloooo!”_

Ben raised his eyebrows and glared at Rey, as if this lady was a genius stalker because she knew his name already.

She hadn’t seen him in years, as the orange creature immediately went in for a hug of Ben’s lower body because she was so short. As soon as she let go, she ushered them inside. Ben tried not to laugh while Rey squeezed his hand as she whispered over his shoulder to be respectful. Entering Maz’s house made out of a tree trunk on base, it was lined with wind chimes and closed treasure chests. A white sheet hung from the wall, and several maps were taped around it. There were a few chairs in the center of the room, as Rey and Ben sat down next to each other.

Maz recognized who she was working with tonight, the last Jedi, and a Solo boy she rarely got to help, but she could clearly see the same eyes of his parents within him. She noticed how close the pair was. “What brings you both in tonight?”

“Ben can’t remember anything that happened in his past,” Rey told her bluntly, concerned for him.

“Leia told me if we got the last thing he touched, and he touched it, his memories would come back to him. So far nothing’s worked. I need your help Maz, he isn’t aware about anything that happened to him.”

Maz nodded, the wise creature turning from Rey over to Ben, studying his appearance. He appeared tired and worn out, as well as injured, but still gripping on to Rey’s hand. She could sense the connection between both of them and how valued it really was. They were a dyad. But Maz could sense the hatred, the answers, the betrayal the First Order felt. She realized that they knew Kylo Ren was with the Resistance now, but she wasn’t sure if Rey and Ben knew that as she adjusted her glasses and tried to break the news.

“Ben Solo has a big target on his back with a massive reward. The First Order knows of his sightings. I think they know he’s with us. If you run into The First Order, you risk them capturing Ben and turning him in. To them, he’s their Supreme Leader who committed treason.” Maz shook her head, not wanting to see this redeemed boy suffer from his past organization. “He is still their Kylo Ren. But we know who he is now, and so do Leia and Han. Our Ben Solo.”

Rey realized the gravity of the situation, nodding as she squeezed his hand a little tighter. She had to protect him for real now. “So what should I do?”

“Don’t stick around for too long. Keep moving. Take him to farther places and planets. Use a different ship than the one he fought in before. Wear a disguise, try for the both of you to blend in. I don’t think it’s worth staying at base for very long except if it’s nighttime and Kaydel opens the shields for you, if this base gets captured then it’s the end. Try to take him to planets that would be relevant enough, that have significance attached to his memories.” Maz gave Rey the idea to take him to different places so she could show him the memories. “If you retrace your past steps, then you may find the item you need.”

“After the course demonstrations tomorrow, we can leave.” Rey made an executive decision, gazing over to Ben as he nodded. Rey wasn't sure where, but she wanted to go as far away as possible with him. The two of them stood up as Rey thanked Maz for the help.

“You can always contact me if you need anything. Let me know! Our Solo _will_ be back soon.” She said, waddling back to Ben in big steps to put her hand over theirs. They had her blessing. All that was left was to show Ben more of his past.

Thanking Maz again, Rey and Ben exited her house as Ben let go of Rey’s hand. As Rey turned around to make sure he was okay, Ben put it back by his side. He was starting to feel better. Following Rey around the base to get back to the cots, they were getting ready for bed.

Ben moved his cot closer to Rey’s, as he watched her take out her three buns to let her hair down.

“Rey,” He lowered his voice to try to get her attention. Stopping what she was doing, she was interested in knowing what he had to say. She noticed the cots were closer together.

“I wanted to thank you for saving my life today. When I was up in my ship, all I could think about was you. I wanted to make sure you were okay even though I didn’t know where you were. You and Rose... nobody really took care of me like that ever before. You made me feel better.” Putting his fingers over his chest, he tried to reenact how Rey used some force healing on him. It was something he never felt before.

Rey sat up in her bed, listening to how this Ben felt about being treated after he got injured during the battle today as if he never experienced care or love from his family before. Tears brimmed her eyes as she started to cry, trying to process that Ben was with her. Ben was here, as much as he really wasn’t. Having the feeling that she knew exactly where she was - experiencing the first sense of destruction and him getting killed by the First Order last night fueled her into panic and stress that her two friends would rush Ben into that kind of situation, but she didn’t have to worry anymore. He was alive. Alive, and by her side. That was all that mattered.

“I never want to lose you again, Ben.” She whispered through her tears in a serious voice as she yawned, tired and embarrassed about her being this emotionally unstable in front of him. She crumpled her head onto her pillow, continuing to cry facing away from Ben.

Flexing his fingers to make sure it still was okay, he moved one hand under Rey to bring her closer to the middle of the cot to face him. His other hand was placed gently on her cheek as he used his thumb to wipe away her tears. Rey could feel how he touched her, as she felt more comfortable and sleepy.

“Can you… _be with me?”_

Her voice trailed off as she went to sleep, not ready for him to leave her side yet.

Ben nodded, realizing how important she was to him as he sat back in his bed and brought her closer to his chest, moving her hair aside and making sure he was wiping all of her tears away until they were gone and she was asleep.

“Psst, Ben!” A flashlight flickered in his direction as he shrugged, trying to see who it was. Ben was ready to rest too.

Rose’s flashlight could see Ben half-awake and Rey fully asleep, curled up next to him as she smiled to herself.

“You’re cleared, but take it easy. Goodnight!" Rose told him quietly from across the room, giving him a thumbs up. 

Ben nodded as he listened to what Rose told him. He couldn't help but smile.

"Did you hear that, Rey? I'm cleared." He whispered as he kissed her forehead and drifted off to sleep, loosely keeping his arms around her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> phew, i hope you liked the chapter! also a little background information on the title; i chose it because of a song called you are a memory by message to bears. 
> 
> \- @cosmicreas


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys! happy new year! sorry it's been a lil, between what's been going on in sw twitter to the new year i've been all over the place but enjoy chapter 7! also your hits, bookmarks, comments and kudos make writing this so much more fun :)
> 
> \- @cosmicreas

The alarm rang across the jungle, as everyone knew they had to wake up. People sprang to their feet and ran to the center of base, understanding that someone must have sounded the bell for a meeting.

Ben, surprised by the sound he never heard before, was still holding a Rey who was fast asleep in his arms. Nobody really gave him a second glance, they just went amongst their early days. Zorri Bliss walked by the pair and flashed a fake smile at the sight of the two of them before she took her helmet off loudly.

Rey woke up to the sound of the helmet, realizing Ben was still with her as she smiled brightly and cuddled him closer before realizing Zorri was in front of their cot.

Ben loved to see Rey smile as he held her closely, before looking at Zorri.

“Good morning! Rey, Poe was looking for you. He said something about course day… couldn’t you hear the alarms?”

She shrugged and put her helmet back on before walking away, in denial that she saw Rey and Ben sleeping together.

“See you later!”

Rey sat up in bed shocked, the alarm registering in her ears as she shook her head. Today was course day, and her and Jannah were talking to the Resistance. She woke up late, jumping away from him as she tied her hair up and looked for her backpack. She had a lot of pressure because she was in charge of the demonstration of the Jedi course, which would get everyone’s attention. Having a lot on her plate and seeing Ben stare at her to get ready, she threw her arms up in the air as if they had to leave.

“Ben, we have to go to the meeting!”

Knowing how much this meant to Rey, Ben nodded and got out of bed. Separating the two cots, he put his shoes on and agreed that they should get going if they wanted to be on time. Not quite sure knowing what to expect, he wanted to encourage her to do her best. Rey was already walking down the rows of beds before Ben jogged up to catch her.

“Hey, wait!”

Rey turned around to face his direction, as she decided to walk backwards to make sure she wasn’t late. She was a mess.

“What, Ben?” She slapped her arms on her thighs, wondering what he had to say to purposefully slow her down and make a fool out of herself on the big day.

She missed the old Ben.

Ben laughed when he noticed how effortlessly and fast she was walking backward, as Rey was about to go down the top step without even realizing it.

“Stop.” He told her calmly, as Rey turned around to see where she was going to land. Ben caught her and prevented her from slipping as the angled Rey looked up at him mid-breath, trying to smile through the stress she was feeling. She took a breath and huffed a piece of black hair around Ben’s face away as it fell back above his forehead, kind of upset that he had stopped her. Her back being held from falling was something cute she could get used to, though.

“Slow down. You’ve got this.”

Rey nodded, agreeing with him before he let go and she decided to not walk backward anymore. Running down the stairs, excited to show the rebels what she was working on, she turned around to wave at Ben. Ben waved back, as he saw Rey go into the crowd and onto a platform on the other side. He decided to join the crowd too as the alarm stopped.

Rey had found Jannah and Finn as she entered the conversation, placing her backpack down breathlessly but still being able to beam from ear to ear.

“Good morning, Rey.” Finn noticed her rushed enthusiasm as Jannah looked up from her blueprints, relieved her partner had arrived.

“I would say sleeping with a Solo would be a good morning!” Poe chimed in as he walked around the circle they formed, and put his elbows on Finn and Rey’s shoulders.

Rey lost her smile as she rolled her eyes, playfully jabbing him as Finn and Jannah laughed. Of course, Zorri would tell Poe that. Maybe they were just joking around though.

“So who’s talking first?” He laughed, clutching his side.

Without saying anything, Rey breezed between her friends and onto the platform to address the crowd. She gestured Jannah to come up with her.

“Hi everyone..” Rey said in front of the soldiers quietly, not seeming to get everyone’s attention as she laughed.

“Hi Rey!” Jannah shouted as she cupped her hands around her lips, making the crowd go silent.

_“Hi Rey.”_ Most of them responded back with a little less enthusiasm as Rey this early in the morning. She cleared her throat and laughed.

“Thank you for that, Jannah. So as you know, the Generals and I have been talking about how we can prepare ourselves for all types of situations. And when Jannah was on board to work on this project with me, she thought of having training courses, or simulations, for all roles here. Each course leader has a set of directions. If we say your role, you are to go with your course leader. If you think you are a Jedi or are force-sensitive, you will be going with me for the Jedi training course.” She explained to the army.

“Alright! Let me announce your course leaders! Jedis are going with Rey, Pilots are going with Poe, Engineers are going with Kaydel, Technicians are going with Rose. If you have any questions about where you think you should go, ask us! After you pass your first course run through, you are all set for the day and can practice on the course whenever as long as your course leader signs your training log! Let’s go rebels, we’re putting in the work today!” Jannah said as the group broke out into claps and cheers scattering to find what course they were going to.

Inspired by their speeches, Ben looked over the crowd to find Poe. There were more pilots than he thought as he nervously shuffled to the demo X-wing Rey and Jannah had set up.

Someone had tapped on his shoulder, as he turned to the side and saw it was Zorri.

“Bounty hunters make great pilots, did you know that?” She told him, her face visible through the space in her helmet. Ben didn’t give his full attention to her as he noticed how small Rey’s group was. Luckily, the start of the Jedi course and the ship were close to each other.

Rey led Finn and a first-year recruit over to the Jedi course, skeptical that they would be able to finish. She was still willing to demonstrate it because if they were Force-sensitive or a Jedi it was important for them to train like one so their powers could be used appropriately.

“There’s demo lightsabers throughout the course that should call to you. If you can’t finish the course, you will be asked to leave and sent to another option. Got it?” Rey told the two, turning around as she began her demonstration.

Rey sighed as she took a breath to start sprinting until she jumped up to reach a branch of a tree holding the covered helmet all Jedis were tested with. Placing the helmet over her head, she walked back onto a tightrope over a gorge in the jungle. The sensory droids flew around her as she swatted her lightsaber at some of them as they perished, attempting to keep her balance while the droids tried to throw it off. Continuing to run as she threw the helmet onto the jungle ground, she leaped up again to slice off half of a red ribbon on a tree.

Ben saw Rey perform the first part of the course while Poe was talking, as he said out loud, “Woah.”

“Solo, is there something you’d like to share with all of the pilots?” The general asked sarcastically, trying to talk to his group about how to do the x-wing course as he knew Ben wasn’t paying attention.

Ben didn’t answer as his eyes were fixed on the aggressive Rey twisting the red ribbon over her wrist and throwing the lightsaber around to cut down trees. The other pilots started to get distracted too, all eyes on Rey’s training. Poe then realized what they were looking at, as he saw Rey do her Jedi work in person. Staring over at Finn as Finn glanced back at his fellow general with a surprised expression, Poe shook his head. No matter how hard Finn tried, only Rey could pull that course off.

Rey used the force to pull a long stick from a tree out to help use her coordination better as she continued to throw her lightsaber around. So far the course was going good. She rarely completed it, but she knew today she had to. Being at peace with herself, she ran onto the newly added wooden steps, before she did a quick front flip tossing her stick aside and instinctively deciding to tie the red ribbon around one of her buns.

She felt a thousand eyes staring at her, as she approached the last stage of the course, the fake fighting. Rey was so far from base, she couldn’t understand why everyone was trying to look at her do her thing as she took a breath. As the sensory droids zoomed around Rey, she swished her lightsaber around before she sliced through her first one. The fast objects buzzed around Rey as she let out a scream to hit the second droid on target. Two more. Rey steadied herself before running up the trunk of a tree, jumping off of it, and getting the third one in midair. Using her lightsaber to boomerang back toward her as she took down another tree that crushed the last circular droid, she ran across the collapsed tree and held her yellow lightsaber closely as she ran back to the start of the course, relived.

Doubled over and exhausted from her workout, she was about to stand up and let Finn know it was his turn to try the course. But before she spoke, she got bombarded with claps, cheers, and whistles from everyone who saw her run the course. Her hands covering her face covered with dirt from the jungle, she gasped to herself that everyone really had to watch what she did.

Finn and the first year decided they weren’t quite ready for the course yet, as Rey understood, still trying to catch her breath from all the praise she got from finishing the course. Still looking towards the pilots clapping at her, Rey shook her head as she walked by Poe.

“Pilots, get back to work.” She stuck her tongue out in Poe’s direction, catching the group off guard before Ben locked eyes with Rey as he gave her a thumbs up - a symbol that he learned from Rose the night before.

Watching the girl with the red ribbon knotted around her bun walk away from the course she killed, Ben became more and more impressed with Rey each day. She was fierce, resilient, and a genius for thinking of the course idea for everyone… it was hot to watch her master the Jedi course.

Rey went across base past the other groups doing their courses, and all the way to the wardrobe department. She said hi to Babu Frik at the front desk, before she made her way to the rows and rows of outfits for different roles. Past the pilot and the commander outfits, Rey finally found the pieces she was looking for to put together an outfit of her own. A white shirt with brown trim that had matching pants, a grey vest with a belt similar to Ahch-To, and knee-high brown boots. She found a white armband and some tan wrap and brown wristlets to add to her arms. Going into the dressing room to change and coming back out, Rey stepped out into the mirror. She looked classy, like the Jedi she was supposed to. But she was missing a part of her outfit.

Taking another look at herself from every angle, she thought of what.

“A cape!” She blurted out loud, remembering Lando had donated his old capes to wardrobe as she was going to walk away from the mirror and find the row they were in, but she felt something in the back of her head.

Realizing this person was out of view in the mirror, she faced front as she could see his hands untying the ribbon stuck in her hair from training. Smiling to herself, she knew it was Ben as he brushed up against her a little closer, completely taking the red ribbon out.

“There.” He whispered quietly, as Rey turned around to find Ben wearing his first official pilot’s suit and holding up the ribbon in his hand. Figuring out Ben must of passed the course, Rey smiled lovingly as she hopped up to grab the ribbon back from his tall grasp, shaking her head. He looked so much like Poe used to in his orange and white jumpsuit, it was adorable.

He caught her off guard until Rey remembered how Ben really needed a new look.

“We need to get you a new outfit like Maz said!” Rey held him by his collar playfully as she gestured him to follow her over where the capes are.

Finding the perfect cape for herself, which was a beautiful brown wrap around one, she held it in her hands as she noticed Ben was looking at the signature Jedi robes instead that lined the other half of the row. Holding up a brown robe, Rey liked it as she pointed out a blue and yellow cape of Lando’s that would look good on him. Ben made his way to find a lighter shade of black pants, another white undershirt, and a few accessories like a holster to really change up his look.

Walking back to the dressing room, Rey patiently waited for Ben to change.

“You can open the curtain now!”

As she opened the curtain to find him sitting on the bench of the changing room in his Jedi robe over his Han Solo-like outfit, she giggled at him realizing that he looked so much like his father, but at the same time a Padawan. If Ben Solo remembered the person he was and the fashion sense he once had, this would be a major milestone.

“Come here."

The words rolled off Ben’s tongue, as Rey listened to him and walked over before his spread legs.

Once again, such a Solo mannerism.

Rey stood in front of the relaxed Solo, as he just smiled up at her.

Ben reached out to hold Rey’s hands, bringing both of them to his knees, his voice changing to a more specific tone.

“Right here.” As Rey’s fingertips felt the warmth from his new pants, she realized what he meant.

She instinctively climbed into his lap. The last time she did this was in a bad spot of both of their lives, but this was another chance. A fresh start. The same butterflies beginning to swirl around her stomach, that she was on top of her other half. Whatever made Ben act like this all of a sudden, it made her love him even more.

He moved a curl from her buns behind her ear, Rey bit her lip and gazed down at him, wondering why she was so attracted to this Ben now.

Trying to leave as much space as possible between them so Rey wouldn’t melt from their heat, Ben realized what she was doing as he placed his arms under her new cape and wrapped them even lower this time, forcing her body down to press against his bulge.

“What Bennnnn?”

Her voice fluctuated from how he was behaving all of a sudden.

“You, me, Coruscant?” Ben raised an eyebrow as he reached out to touch her cheek.

Hearing the name of the planet from his mouth to her ears, Rey gasped. The Coruscant that had the Jedi temple on it?

She had heard of that place… in dreams.

“Ben! How did you know that?” Her voice was shocked he named a planet.

“The pilots were talking about it today.”

He told her as he thought it would be a great place to go explore. It seemed like it had a lot of history.

Rey thought he pulled that out of his memory.

Ben was asking her to go on a date.

“We’d have to take an escape pod or something, your ship is damaged.” Rey reminded him in a low whisper, settling into his lap now.

His hand slid down her cheek and around her neck, thinking about the two of them.

“So are you gonna kiss me or what?”

Ben nodded, understanding that they had to take an unrecognizable ship from now on as he changed the question with the tiniest smirk.

When she heard what he asked, Rey’s eyes widened. How could she resist? She wanted to so desperately. She wished she had the confidence to kiss him as she did on Mos Eisley when she thought everything was normal. But part of her was terrified. Afraid to lose him again.

Politely shaking her head no, she collected herself with a sigh as she cupped his cheeks in her hands.

If only he knew her fear.

_“HEHEHE!”_

Babu Frik was standing in front of the curtain as he looked at Rey sitting on top of Ben, signaling for them to leave the dressing room because other people had to try outfits on.

“Coruscant. Let’s go.” Rey whispered into a laugh as she got up, holding her old clothes.

“Thanks, Babu.” Ben patted him on the head while they walked out of the wardrobe department together.

“Follow my lead. We’re going behind the technicians help desk to get a spare escape pod. I can put the coordinates in.”

Ben understood, watching Rey stealthily maneuver past the technicians fixing their own pods before she found the empty one. Stepping inside behind Rey, Ben followed.

Quickly tapping on the panels to punch in the coordinates that would take them to Coruscant, Rey cringed as she hoped the takeoff wasn’t too loud and obvious.

“Why are you so worried? It’s a date.”

He reminded her, seeing how concerned Rey was as the escape pod’s windows were covered by the jungle foliage Ajan Kloss, rising up to takeoff.

“Ben.” Rey shook her head as she stepped away from the controls and sat down.

“We have to blend in here. I don’t even know what to expect on this planet, let alone you not being able to remember. I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

The Solo boy understood the importance of not messing up, especially when being taken to places beyond base.

He messed up before, at his old job.

But with Rey by his side and the guidance of what Maz Kanata had explained, he vowed to keep himself on the down-low.

She was taking out her buns, as her wavy hair fell over her shoulders into curls all around.

“I get it.” He hoped all this tension wouldn’t ruin the reason they were escaping to Coruscant together - to spend more time, alone. Unnoticed.

As the escape pod broke the atmosphere and lowered into view of a glowing brown planet with stardust-lined marks of orange, Rey glanced over at Ben’s reaction to what they were approaching. Moving forward, the place they wanted to be was the city center.

Marveling at the tall skyscrapers and influx of ships dotting in and out of the clouds, the pair realized how grand this city really was. So much rich history and great leaders of the Jedi met here. Why did they stop? The Sith. Attacks. Disruption of peace.

Rey felt queasy as she realized the escape pod was flying over ruins. Debris scattered the earth, rocks were scattered everywhere, glass buildings remained broken, but the promise of scaffolding that surrounded the ruins, salvaging a rebuild. The city line tried to hide this damage, and things were being rebuilt, but nothing could hide the damage that still remained from one of the most important Jedi temples. Except… ownership didn’t just belong to the Jedis anymore.

She thought this was only in texts. But it was real.

Ben wouldn’t understand. Not yet. He just saw the city for what it was, prominent.

As a tourist attraction and place to live, Coruscant’s numbers were slipping.

The escape pod was drawn to a visitor’s offloading dock that seemed pretty empty, as millions of more buildings submerged from depths under the ground and other unlikely places. It was like this city never ended, there was more to it than what met the eye.

“We’re here,” Rey said quietly as the pod’s doors opened, cracking a small smile trying to be excited for the date but realizing maybe the place was too worn out. They would find something to do here, she could just feel it.

Ben stood up, ready to go before Rey realized what he needed. “Ben.”

Turning around, he gazed down at Rey on her tippy-toes pulling the hood of the brown Jedi robe over his head. Smiling down at her, Rey nodded back.

“After you,” Ben told her, as he brought his hand down to her's to squeeze it.

They were in this together. They would be safe with each other.

Coruscant was bursting with life, yet it felt deserted.

Now, Rey and Ben were apart of this quiet planet that meant so much to the galaxy long ago.


End file.
